


I Just Don't Even Know

by planiforidjit



Series: I Have No Idea [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, BAMF Stiles, Biting, Canon Typical Violence, Derek Hale with little kids, Derek protects a baby, Derek smiles too much, Druids, Everyone is Bisexual, Future Fic, Hair Washing, Hand Jobs, Hunters, Hurt/Comfort, I have no self control, Intercrural Sex, Kid Fic, M/M, Magic Stiles, Minor Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall, Minor Malia Tate/Kira Yukimura, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Derek Hale, Panic Attacks, Scent Marking, Sharing a Bed, Stiles is in grad school, Writer Derek, a/b/o dynamics, another kid fic, but like light, everyone is dating everyone - Freeform, grumpy dad Derek, sterek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-25 09:35:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 28,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6189361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/planiforidjit/pseuds/planiforidjit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What the actual fuck is that?” Stiles whispers, understanding that he does not want to wake the little thing in Derek’s arms. </p><p>Derek narrows his eyes at him, his eyebrows do that confused drawing together thing they do often. “A baby, Stiles.” </p><p>“I know it’s a fucking baby, Derek."</p><p>---</p><p>In which a werewolf baby is left at Derek's apartment and he and Stiles have so much sexual tension.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oh My God His Arms Tho

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from my total non idea of where this is going. I don't really know about chapters or a plot, all I know is that Stiles is in a PhD program, this is the future, I'm going to pretty much ignore season five because I don't love it, but Derek was gone for a while, and Derek accidentally got a baby. I'm sure there will be sex at some point because I can't stop myself, but I'll be updating the tags and rating as I go.

**D-Rock** : Get home now 

**D-Rock** : Stiles

**D-Rock** : This is an emergency

**D-Rock** : Are you fucking kidding me 

**D-Rock** : I will murder you

**D-Rock** : Stiles

**D-Rock** : Remember? I will rip your throat out with my teeth?????

**D-Rock** : I need you here now 

**D-Rock** : I needed you here like an hour ago 

**D-Rock** : Please Stiles 

 

Stiles was not ignoring him, okay. Stiles was in class. Because he’s in a PhD program now doing work in archeology and he has about fifty papers to write on top of doing his reading and participating in class and teaching his two night classes. He can’t just show up whenever Derek needs him if he’s going to become the next Indiana Jones. This isn’t high school. He can't just be ready to go when Derek calls. Or texts. Since he does that now too. 

But the please is kind of alarming and also makes his chest do this weird flutter thing and then it goes a little lower when he imagines Derek saying “ _please Stiles_ ” in another context. Not that Derek would ever be okay with that context because of all the threats of murder. But a boy can dream.  

“ _Stiles_ ,” Derek growls when Stiles finally calls about two afters after the first text got sent out. 

“Dude. I was in class. I can’t just be on my phone in class.” 

“I need you to get back here.”  

“I have to get back to my apartment and drive up, dude. It’s going to be a while.”  

“I’m _at_ your apartment.” 

“Wait by home you literally meant my home? Not Beacon Hills?” 

“Yes.” 

“Are you dying?” 

“I’m not dying. Get here.” 

Something screams in the background. 

“Did you kidnap someone, Derek? Oh god. Are we in a hostage situation? What the fuck, man? I thought that you promised that we wouldn’t do anything until after midterms.” 

“It’s not—just get here, Stiles.” 

“Okay. I’ll be home in ten. Do you need anything? Should I like pick up a shot gun or like Chinese food on the way home?” 

“Just get here.” 

Derek hangs up the phone, but Stiles definitely heard someone cry in the background. He speeds back to his apartment which the jeep can barely do because she's so old. He nearly tips her while taking what some might call an illegal left hand turn at a red light and what others might call just opportunistic driving. 

He throws the jeep into park, runs into his apartment and sprints up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. He throws open the door. 

“I swear to fucking _god_ , Derek, if someone is dead in here I will have my dad arrest you. I don’t care if you did nothing. I will put you away until you fucking—.” 

Derek is standing in the middle of his apartment wearing a stupidly tight shirt and jeans and holding a baby in his muscular arms. And  _god_. No one has any right to look that good holding a fucking baby. 

“Stiles,” Derek says, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes. “I just got her to sleep.” 

“What the actual _fuck_ is that?” Stiles whispers, understanding that he does not want to wake the little thing in Derek’s arms. 

Derek narrows his eyes at him, his eyebrows do that confused drawing together thing they do often. “A baby, Stiles.” 

“I know it’s a fucking baby, Derek. Why do you have one? Why do you have it _here_?”   

“Someone left her at my apartment.” Derek looks down at the baby’s face and actually smiles a little. He touches her nose with a finger. 

“Derek,” Stiles snaps. 

“Sorry.” He looks back up at him and in reality this is probably the sexiest thing Stiles has ever seen. It's like a sexy dudes calendar or something. Every month is Derek in a different tight shirt, holding a baby in his arms. God _d_ _amn_. “There was note that she was to be protected by the alpha of Beacon Hills and I think whoever it was is operating on older information and thought Hales, though obviously Scott is, you know, more of an alpha.” 

“You’re both alphas,” Stiles mutters. This has been a point of contention ever since Derek came back from being god knows where. The jury is still out on where he was exactly. 

Derek shrugs. And really the way it works is that Derek is an alpha and part of the pack and Scott is the alpha of the pack. It’s not that complicated, but it’s a sore spot for the various weres. 

“Whoever had her wants me to protect her,” Derek says. “I don’t know why. She’s a wolf, but I can’t smell a pack on her. Maybe her mother was an omega. But I can’t take care of her alone. I can’t figure this out alone.” 

“So you came to me.” 

“Yes.” 

“What about Scott? Or like Kira? Or anyone else who actually _lives_ in Beacon Hills right now?” 

“I can’t trust any of them with a baby. Scott is an idiot, Kira has a sword.” 

“You have fangs.” 

“Liam is a _child_.” 

“He’s twenty-two.” 

“Malia doesn’t like kids.” 

“Do _you_ like kids?” Stiles asks, but it’s pretty obvious by the way Derek stares down at the baby. 

“Yeah,” Derek says. “I had—there were a lot of little kids in my house before the fire.” 

Stiles always knew that there were children in the house, but he never really liked to think about it. He shivers. "Okay. But why here? Why me?" 

“Malia suggested we leave her out to take care of herself and nature would take its course,” Derek says. 

“Did you talk about this with the pack?”  

“Yeah.” 

“And they told you to come here.” 

“Does that surprise you?” 

Stiles shakes his head. “No. Jesus. Okay. Okay. Let’s figure this out.” He sinks onto the couch. “We have to figure out where she came from. Does she have a name?” 

“Just Lucy,” Derek says. He sits down on the couch next to Stiles and Stiles can’t help looking over at the little girl bundled up in Derek’s arms. She’s small, her lips set in a pout, with a shock of dark hair on her head. Stiles has never seen anything cuter. 

“Just Lucy,” Stiles repeats. 

“Do you want to hold her?” Derek asks and Stiles finds that he’s nodding, which is weird because he’s horrified of kids. They’re cute, yeah. But they break. They break so easily. 

“Yeah.” Stiles takes her from Derek’s arms and settles her head in the crook of his elbow. She coos and wraps her hand around the zipper of Stiles’ hoodie. 

Derek scoots closer to him and leans over Stiles’ shoulder to look at her. “She’s four months old. Her birthday is November first.” 

“She’s really beautiful,” Stiles says. 

"Yeah." 

"So what's the plan?" Stiles asks. He does not concentrate on the way Derek feels pressed against his back. He concentrates on Lucy's little pout. 

"I don't know," Derek says. "Figure out what pack she belongs to? See why she needs to be protected." 

"Is she a beta?" Stiles asks, running a finger over her nose. 

Derek nods. "She got angry with me on the way down." 

Stiles closes his eyes for a moment and mentally organizes his life around a baby. It's not really easy. But he can't stop schoolwork and he also can't leave Derek alone with a baby. It's like a puzzle. "Okay. Do you have any baby things?" 

"Baby things?" 

"Like diapers and a car seat and food and—how did you get her down here?" 

Derek mutters something and scoots away from Stiles. 

"What was that?" 

"I just held her." 

"While you _drove_? Derek! That is dangerous as fuck! What the hell were you thinking?" 

"I wasn't really."  

"Oh my god and she wolfed out on you?" 

"She's a very tiny wolf." 

"Oh my god. I can't believe you didn't get arrested. Okay. We need to get things. Like a car seat and food and formula and one of those play pen things and toys and clothes and—okay. Derek. I'm going to give you a list." 

"You can't stay here with her. What if she bites you?" 

"She doesn't have teeth." 

"She has fangs," Derek says. "They're tiny, but they're there."

"Do you think she'll really hurt me?" 

Derek shrugs like maybe Stiles would even annoy a baby into biting him. 

"Okay fine. I'll go to the store. Because obviously she can't just be held in a car anymore. And I guess you'll set up here. But I've gotta do some grading tonight so you have to let me do that. And then the pack can come down tomorrow and we'll talk." 

"We can stay here?" 

"I mean, yeah. It probably makes more sense than being at your place if you need to protect her, right?" 

"Right." 

Stiles looks down at Lucy, whose eyes are open. She looks up at him curiously and lets out a little coo. 

"I don't want to leave her," Stiles says. 

Derek's chest rumbles and Stiles can feel it because apparently they're pressed together again and Stiles didn't even notice. 

Derek's voice is close to his ear. "We can—I don't know. I don't have a solution." 

"Yeah. It's cool. I trust you to keep her alive while I'm gone since I'm already attached to her." 

Derek chuckles, his breath warm across Stiles' cheek. And Stiles has no right to be this turned on while holding a baby. And God Derek can probably smell it and he's probably disgusted. 

"I've kept her alive this long," Derek says. 


	2. Derek Just Loves Babies So Goddamn Much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't expect these updates to be so regular or do? I have no idea.

Stiles sucks in too many deep breaths on the way to Target. He didn’t want to panic. He felt okay while he was sitting with Derek and the baby. But he got in the car and thought of everything they needed, a baby he had to take care of and protect. A baby that could possibly kill him. A baby that he could kill. Babies die. They are squishy and cannot protect themselves. Oh god. Derek will absolutely never love him if he somehow kills the baby. 

Now his breaths are short and weird and make his chest hurt. They come fast and shallow and thankfully he's in the Target parking lot while he has a full on panic attack. It's not the worst one he's ever had, he rationalizes while pressing a hand to his chest to stop it from hurting. And if there was ever a time for a panic attack it's when he has a surprise baby back at his apartment. 

He counts backwards from ten a few times, looks over the list he and Derek made, and then calls Scott. 

"Dude," Scott says. 

"Why the _fuck_ did you tell Derek to come to me?" Stiles asks, slamming the door to the jeep. 

"I don't know. You figure stuff out." 

"Scott. There is a baby living in my apartment." 

"Is he staying?" 

"Yeah. Of course. I'm not a monster." 

"Oh. I just wasn't sure if you guys were going to come back up here." 

"No. But you and the pack are coming down here tomorrow and we're figuring this shit out while I do some grading." 

"I think Derek probably doesn't want that," Scott says as Stiles walks into the store and grabs a cart. 

"What the fuck are you even talking about?" 

"I just mean like maybe he wants to like be with you or whatever. I don't know. Just like he smelled all weird and like happy when he was holding the baby and then when we mentioned you he got all glowy and like he didn't even argue when we told him to go to you." 

Stiles makes so many noises that a girl putting away shoes drops one of the boxes. "Dude. I don't—we still need to figure it out. And it's probably just me. It's probably Derek's like insatiable need for a family. I mean he lived with a bunch of kids. And they all _died_. Oh christ I’m going to kill this kid.” 

“Maybe.”

“I hate you.”

“What're you doing right now?" 

"Buying baby stuff." Stiles dumps everything he thinks he needs into the cart. “Because she is a werewolf baby and she will bite me. So Derek couldn’t do it.” 

"But she's all gummy." 

"Not when she's a wolf." 

"Oh." 

"Yeah. But now that I’m saying it, it sounds like a lie and Derek is probably just cuddling the baby and weeping or something. You better get your ass down here in the morning. We need to figure this out." 

—

When Stiles gets back the apartment is quiet. He immediately assumes that Derek and the baby have managed to murder each other or whatever is after the baby has murdered them both. So he drops the stuff at the door and frantically searches for any sign of struggle. He's in the kitchen, looking for signs of blood clean up when his bedroom door opens. 

Derek stands there with his hair all sticking up on one side. He isn't wearing a shirt and he's got on a pair of Stiles' sweatpants. It is totally inappropriate how immediately turned on Stiles is. 

He rubs at his eyes. "What's wrong, Stiles? Your heartbeat is insane." 

And wow. Who knew that sleepy shirtless Derek would be so sexy. Sexy and adorable. Stiles wants to kiss his stupid face. He pushes that feeling down deep. It is not the time to feel these things. Because turned on is one thing, but thinking Derek is adorable is veering dangerously into the feelings zone and he’s been avoiding that shit for years. 

Stiles throws up his hands because the best course of action is being annoyed. ”What're you doing? I thought you had been kidnapped." 

Derek scratches his tummy and _yes_ Stiles thinks the word tummy. It's almost painful. 

"We were taking a nap." 

"In my bed? What if she rolled off and died?" 

"No. In her basket." Derek looks like Stiles is an idiot. 

"Her basket?" 

"Calm your heart rate down. You're going to wake her up." 

"I just want to keep her alive for a little bit." 

Derek grabs Stiles' arm and pulls him towards his bedroom. His comforter is all rumpled from Derek and next to the bed in a little wicker bassinet, cuddled in soft looking blankets with a teddy bear by her head is Lucy. She's staring up at Stiles with watery eyes. She yawns and her eyes close as she makes a little noise. 

Fuck. She’s so fucking cute. 

"Oh," Stiles says. "Her _bassinet_. 

"Whatever. Look. She'll sleep for a little bit longer and I think I need to go back to sleep so do you want to…?" 

Stiles tugs at the sleeve of his hoodie. "I have a lot of reading." 

"You don't have class tomorrow." 

"How do you know?" 

"We all know your schedule." 

"Derek." 

"Come on." Derek's voice is sleep heavy and Stiles is 90% sure that the reason Derek is tugging at his jeans right now is because he's half asleep. 

"Derek," he says. "Why are you trying to pull off my pants?" 

"You can't nap in jeans." 

Stiles groans. "Okay. _Okay_. Just let me get my own pants off." 

Derek backs off, but then he moves back in, tugging at the zipper of Stiles' hoodie and pushing it over his shoulders. He waits until Stiles' pants are off and then drags him down into the bed. Stiles doesn’t say anything as Derek wraps around him. 

"I can back off," Derek says, pushing his face into Stiles' neck. 

"No. It's okay." They're touching, but there's a lot more clothes than Stiles would have ever really wanted. And it's not that bad really. At least he's the little spoon. Even if Derek can smell that he's a little turned on at least he can't feel it. 

Derek let's out this content hum that Stiles has never heard before. Or really ever expected to hear from Derek. "Okay." 


	3. Derek Has A Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek is not looking at dildos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is literally just four different Sterek fics that I never finished being smashed together into one giant thing. Also I know nothing about babies except that at four months they're heavier than you expect. 
> 
> The Shostakovich being mentioned is brought to you by my current obsession with Shostakovich. If you're looking for a great nonfiction book that has nothing to do with this, Symphony for the City of the Dead by M.T. Anderson is a treasure (that's the book Derek's reading). Also listen to the fourth symphony (even though I like the fifth better) because I feel like Derek would make Lucy listen to that because Derek understands pain.

Stiles is woken up by soft cries from the side of the bed and Derek pulling away from him. 

"I got it," Derek says and Stiles opens his eyes enough to see Derek scooping Lucy out of her bassinet and heading towards the door. "You got her food?" 

"Yeah." Stiles stretches and yawns. "It's by the couch. There's formula and stuff there. I'll get up in a sec." 

Derek looks down at him, holding Lucy in his arms, he maybe hesitates a little and then turns back to the door. Stiles lays back in his pillows and stares at the ceiling. He gets this totally messy feeling in his stomach at the idea of this being a forever thing. Derek waking up from his bed and taking care of a kid. Maybe their kid one day. Maybe Lucy still.

It makes his stomach lurch because it feels so nice. They do not get nice things. They do not get a sweet content life with a kid and bed sharing. Derek just threatens murder and Stiles deflects. It's what they do.  

After putting on sweatpants and slapping himself in the face a few times to wake himself up Stiles walks into the kitchen where Derek is standing with Lucy, heating up a bottle in the microwave like he's done this before. Like he totally knows what he's doing. He's got that kind of soft dopey smile on his face. There's an open jar of mashed squash on the counter. He's still just wearing Stiles' sweatpants and no shirt and that's pretty disgusting on a how attracted to him Stiles is level. 

Stiles walks to the fridge and on his way pinches Derek's cheek. 

"Who knew you smiled," he says and Derek bats his hand away. 

"I smile." 

"I think I've seen you genuinely smile never and maybe you've fake smiled twice and then the rest are smirks."

Derek shrugs. "I don't know. Babies make me happy." 

"Ugh gross," Stiles goes over to the target boxes. "Let me get the high chair set up. Also I got her one of those like chairs that you attach stuff to for them to play with. Because like I have to do work. And you don't want to be the only one playing with her. And we can just set up in front of the TV if—." 

"No TV," Derek growls as Stiles takes the box with the high chair over to the kitchen. It's not really a high chair. Just a seat to stick on other seats with a little tray. 

"Okay," Stiles says. "That's fine. Should we put on some Mozart to make her smarter?" 

"I don't like Mozart." 

"Me neither dude." 

"Maybe some Shostakovich." 

Stiles laughs. "You dork." 

Derek flushes and the microwave beeps. “I’m reading a really good book about him.” 

He sits down at the island in the kitchen as Stiles puts together the high chair and he gives Lucy her bottle. 

"I can do some research tonight," Stiles says. "After I do work." 

"We can do research tomorrow," Derek says. "Don't stress about it." 

"Really?" 

Derek shrugs. "It's not urgent." 

"Yeah but we're protecting her from something." 

"I don't think Google is going to help figure that out." 

"True. We can at least figure out who her parents are." 

"Or were," says Derek because even when he's at his happiest he's still depressing as fuck. 

Stiles rolls his eyes. "Right." 

—

After Lucy is fed and dozing again in her play seat, Stiles sets himself up with papers for grading at the island and Derek sits on the couch with his laptop. 

"Doing research?" Stiles asks. 

"What? Oh…yeah." 

"Dude I'm not even a werewolf and I can tell that you're lying." 

"I'm not lying. I'm just not researching Lucy." 

"What're you researching? _Dildos_?" 

Derek blushes like he maybe actually was searching for dildos. But he frowns deeply. "Lucy is going to learn these words and repeat them." 

"Lucy is four months old and you can say anything to her and she won't understand. It's fine." 

"She's going to start speaking and she will only say the bad words you teach her." 

"Fine. I'll stop saying dildo around her."

"Stiles!"

"Okay. Well now I want to know if you're making that face because you are researching them or because you have some." 

"I'm not researching them." Derek says this in a very pointed way that makes Stiles want to die or like back flip off his chair, which, considering his coordination and marble countertops, could result in his death anyway. 

"I need to know what you're researching because like you're not telling me and I'm assuming things." 

"I'm just looking at maps of Paris. Jesus." 

" _Whyyyyyyyy_?" 

Lucy let's out a giggle or like a gurgle that could be perceived as a giggle and Stiles shrieks. 

"She loves me!" He points at her. "It's settled." 

"She loved you before. There wasn't any debate. I could smell it.” 

"Oh. Right. Smelling feelings." 

"Yes. It makes taking care of a baby easier." 

Stiles gives up totally on his reading—whatever he doesn't have to be anywhere tomorrow—and he plops down next to Derek on the couch. Derek who minimizes a word document very quickly. 

"Why are you looking at maps of Paris." 

"I've never been." 

"Are you planning a trip?" 

"No." 

"Then why?" 

"I—look, Stiles, I'm going to tell you something and you can't tell anyone or I will actually murder you." 

"Are you moving to Paris?" 

"No. When I was gone I was—I'm a mystery writer and four of my books are on your shelf and I'm researching the fifth and if you tell anyone I'm going to throw you out a window." 


	4. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek writes really good sex scenes

Stiles jumps up from the couch and sprints into his room, sliding across the floor and smacking into the doorframe as he goes.

He hears Derek swear and then scold himself for swearing.

Stiles stares at his bookcase and hates himself a little for not organizing it better.

"Oh my god!" Stiles shouts, pulling a book off the shelf. "Holy shit! Derek!"

"Stiles," Derek says from the doorway.

" _D.H. Talia_!" Stiles throws the book at Derek and Derek catches it. "That is the stupidest pen name. I mean to be fair I should have guessed."

"You should have. And it's not stupid. It's my mother's name."

"It's a little stupid."

" _You're_ stupid." Derek looks down at the book and Stiles realizes it's the book with the sex scene (all the books have sex scenes but this one was a biggie) and he's spent a lot of time on tumblr shouting "CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE!" So the pages are all creased and kind of highlighted and Derek is looking down at it smirking.

"Dude." Stiles tries to distract him. "I bought these because it had your initials and I just didn't even think. Since when do you write?"

"I have a degree in writing."

"Shut up. These are so fucking good, Derek. When did you go to school?"

Derek looks a little pale, but he speaks anyway. "After the fire I finished up high school as fast as possible and then went to NYU."

"Oh my god. I'm just imagining you living in dorms."

"I didn't live in dorms. I lived with Laura."

"So you've always wanted to be a writer."

Derek shrugs. "Yeah. I guess. It was kind of like a secret hobby in high school. It helped when Paige died and obviously a lot got in the way so I didn't do it as much."

"So you published when you went wherever it was that you went."

"I went back to New York and got in touch with some old writing professors."

"You went back to New York?"

"Yeah."

"Dude. I can't believe this. You have a huge following. People love you. I mean I love these books. When fuckin Declan and Henry finally got together I _wept_."

Derek holds up the book. "I know. You really liked chapter twenty-three."

"It's beautiful." Stiles doesn't even care if he sounds like an idiot. He loves these books. And he loves Derek. So Derek has to know how good he is at writing. "They're so good. I mean you have to know that. People must tell you all the time. Is this why no one knows you're D.H. Talia? Because you're hiding it from us."

"Can we talk about this in the living room with Lucy? I don't like leaving her alone."

"Right," Stiles says. "But will you sign my books?"

Derek laughs. "Yeah fine. Get them and bring them out for me."

Derek turns, still holding book four, his thumb still holding it open at chapter twenty-three. Oh god and as Stiles gathers the first three books he can't help thinking about that sex scene. About Henry saying, "Let me take care of you. Let someone else in for once."

Stiles would read that scene over and over again and like maybe sometimes he imagined himself in Henry's position, fucking Declan, the dark and broody P.I. with a murky past and questionable relationships. And Stiles is reliable Henry who just wants to help. And maybe Derek is Declan. And maybe Stiles likes to think about what it would be like to be between Derek's thighs, working him open and saying things like, "You don't have to be alone, Declan."

It's such a good sex scene. Stiles wants to bathe in it.

"Stiles!" Derek shouts from the other room. "Am I signing your books or not."

Stiles scrambles back to living room and dumps the books on the couch next to Derek. Lucy is fast asleep again, a pacifier in her mouth.

"She is totally not feeling my emotions right now," Stiles says, falling onto the couch.

"Maybe she's just learned to ignore you already. She seems smart."

"Ha. So before you tell me all about your writing journey can you just tell me if Declan and Henry stay together? Because like Declan needs a win."

"I don't know if Declan is the type of guy who gets married."

"They don't have to get married. It doesn't haven't to be a big love thing. But like together forever. Like old gay men with grandchildren. Can you even imagine Declan as a grandfather. He'd be so mean and still spoil them. And oh god Henry would probably learn to bake because he'd totally want to fill that stereotypical grandmother role. Oh my _god_ , Derek."

Stiles is twisting around on the couch with excitement and Derek just raises an eyebrow.

"You really like them?"

"Derek. I love them. I argue with people on the Internet about them."

"Really?" Derek does this soft smile thing and grabs a pen and the first book.

"Yeah." Stiles pulls at the bottom of his shirt. "Derek. Some of your writing is so beautiful. Not just chapter twenty-three. But that part where they're standing on the beach and watching to ocean. I was _moved_. And obviously I'm the type of person who overreacts to books, but like rarely do I feel my heart swelling like that."

Derek blushes. "Thanks, Stiles."

"So why didn't you tell us?"

Derek shrugs like he knows the answer and doesn't want to say it.

"I promise I won't tell anyone else about it. I haven't even texted Scott yet. But I'm going to make you answer all my questions and I'm putting the answers on tumblr and I'm telling henrybottoms to suck it."

"Henrybottoms?"

"It's a username. And it's stupid because there was a sex scene and Henry topped. Declan needs to be taken care of and to let go. That's the point."

Derek shrugs. "I think that maybe they switch it up eventually. Declan probably prefers to bottom but I'm sure he doesn't mind topping sometimes. Especially if Henry needs it. Also we cannot talk about this stuff in front of Lucy."

"Dude she's asleep."

"What if she learns more while she's asleep? She's just soaking it all in. And she's going to start talking and her first word is going to be dildos or bottoming."

Stiles snorts. "Okay. Okay. Can you just tell me why you didn't tell us?"

"I guess I wanted it to be separate. It's really different from the usual stuff."

"The saving people and nearly dying stuff."

"Yeah. It's just really quiet. And it was only going to be the one book and it took off and I didn't really know how to approach it. So I just decided to give off this unapproachable author vibe and I told my publisher that I didn't want my picture on the flap because I didn't want people from home to recognize me. And also at that point I didn't know if I was coming back."

"I'm glad you came back. Have I told you that?"

"That one time when you were drunk."

"It doesn't count if I'm crying."

Derek does this soft smile and looks up at Stiles from his own book.

"You're kind of the inspiration for Henry," Derek says. "You know. Like the way you figure stuff out. I totally stole from things that actually happened to us. The way you work and everything. Because Henry is really the brains. Declan isn't as smart as he thinks he is."

Stiles laughs. "At least you only used my brains as inspiration."

Derek makes a kind of strangled noise. "Yup. Do you want to order something for dinner. I'm really hungry all of a sudden."

"Indian?"

"Fu—heck yeah," Derek says and Stiles snorts. He looks to Lucy. "We probably can't feed her Indian food."

"Probably not."

"That's too bad. I can't deal with her eating those mashed up meals anymore they smell so bad. Maybe I'll get her to wolf out and she can eat a steak."

"I think her tummy is part of the issue. And she needs all her vitamins."

"Steak has plenty of vitamins."

"Ugh you sound like my dad. Does he know about the baby? Probably not. He would've called me."

"I don't think so. But you should call him. Keep him updated."

"I'll do it after the meeting tomorrow. There's no point if we don't know what's going on."

Derek nods. "Good point." He pulls his computer onto his lap. "Where should we order from?"

"Punjab Palace has the best naan I've ever had."

"Punjab Palace it is."

—

Stiles wakes up breathing heavy. Another nightmare. They're few and far between these days, but it probably has something to do with Derek in his bed and the panic attack earlier.

"You okay?" Derek asks, his speech heavy and slurred.

"Yeah," Stiles says. "I'm okay. Just a nightmare."

Derek rolls over and wraps an arm around Stiles. "I have them too still."

"About the fire?"

"Among other things."

"Do you ever do the whole waking up and freaking out thing?"

"Yeah. I was in therapy for a while when I was in New York. And my therapist said that if I just breath and remind myself who I am and where I am and list people I care about."

"I can't believe you got therapy. That's so put together of you."

"Yeah, well, I evolved."

"You did. Dude I saw so much of your butt then."

"Werewolves don't care about nudity like humans. Especially born weres."

"I figured. I'm not complaining."

Derek let's out this breathy laugh. "Okay."

Stiles is silent for a little, but since Derek clearly doesn't fall asleep he starts talking again.

"I don't do well without a plan."

"I know."

And for some reason it feels like the nicest thing in the world. Stupid Derek just showing up with a cute kid and no clothes and an aversion to shirts and writing books and generally being perfect.

Like god. He's sleeping in Stiles' bed with him for Christ's sake. He's being the nicest he's ever been. And it's not that Derek isn't nice. Sure he used to be like the biggest dick. But he's gotten sweeter and nicer, especially after coming back. But he's not overt about it. He just doesn't threaten murder as much and doesn't slam Stiles against things. He's just quieter really.

But Derek has also always been about pack and family. So maybe what he really needed was a platonic fathering relationship with Stiles and a kid that got dropped off at his apartment for protection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I did so much talking about Declan and Henry and thinking about Derek's books that now I'm writing a gay noir series that's basically a Sterek AU so if you ever see it on a bookshelf somewhere know that it is me. Because really this whole thing is basically me just throwing myself off a cliff planning wise. 
> 
> The Indian place is named after my favorite Indian place in Boston (Allston). So you should go if you get the chance.
> 
> Also should I change the rating to mature?


	5. Derek Hale: The Perfect Housewife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, Derek CLEANS!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's some a/b/o stuff in this chapter, but I like to think of it as a/b/o light and it'll probably continue that way. Maybe it'll be a little untraditional. I know it's not something that everyone is totally comfortable with and I've never written it before so, like, let me know what you think. 
> 
> Someone pointed out that babies probably would not be able to sit up on their own at four months and I'm going to be honest and say I know very little about babies and chose a four month old because I did a five year old in the last story and because my friend's son is four months old, so I at least know how to hold one. So I was going to go back and fix that, but since this whole thing is just winging it anyway I'm going to say that baby werewolves are stronger than human babies and can hold themselves up. That's also my reasoning for the eggs thing (which I just read are definitely not supposed to be given to babies younger than eight months). 
> 
> I'm also thinking of Tyler Hoechlin in those recent pictures where he's wearing a lot of denim and his beard and hair are glorious. So think of that with me. But, like, with less denim. 
> 
> Also this is probably more what the updates are going to be like. Not every day, but every few days since the chapters are so short. I am in grad school, you know.

Stiles wakes up to the smell of bacon and eggs and he actually groans while he stretches. He doesn't have to teach or go to class today so he's ready to have a lazy day and then he hears a delighted shriek from the kitchen. 

_Right_. 

The baby. That slept at the bottom of his bed last night. That Derek got up and fed even before she started crying because he could sense it with his magic wolf powers. 

His phone buzzes and it's a text from Scott. 

**Scotty Scott Scott** : we'll be over at noon. 

Stiles doesn't answer because he doesn't want to deal with it. He throws on a shirt and goes into the kitchen. Derek has two plates on the bar both with eggs, bacon, toast, and potatoes. And he's spooning eggs and very mashed potatoes into Lucy's mouth. She seems to think it's very funny to do anything but eat. She has food all over her face and Derek has egg in his beard. His eyebrows are drawn together. 

"Morning," Stiles says, pouring himself coffee and sitting in front of a plate. "Did you make all this?" 

"Yeah," Derek grumbles. "I _had_ a plan." He glares at Lucy, but it might be his attempt at a joke. 

"Yeah?" 

"It involved Lucy eating her food." 

"Can you even give her that stuff?" 

"Google seemed to think it was okay. I was on a mommy blog." 

Stiles shrugs. "Okay." Of course then he thinks of Derek having his own mommy blog and he can't even suppress his smile. 

Derek's ears turn red for some reason. "We'll see if she doesn't get sick. I just don't know. Because she's a wolf too." 

"It's hard." 

"I wish my mom was here," he says and sounds so sweet and defeated that Stiles walks over and hugs him from behind. 

"You've got this," Stiles says. "Worse case scenario she pukes it up. But she's a baby and they do that. Can you alpha eyes her?" 

"I don't think she recognizes me as her alpha yet. Which makes sense. It's only been a day. Maybe her mother was the alpha." 

"Maybe. We'll work on figuring it out today." 

Derek nods. "I'm just going to give her her bottle." 

"Get that egg out of your beard." 

Derek pulls on it.His beard is thicker than it used to be. It's kind of great actually and there's a little gray in it that makes Stiles swoon every time he sees it. It's so cute. Even Derek's hair has a few gray strands and it's beautiful. 

The egg falls out of his beard and onto the floor. 

"I'll pick it up," he says. 

Stiles shrugs. "This place is pretty gross anyway." 

“I can clean,” Derek says. 

And then he does. After breakfast, while Stiles sits on the couch with Lucy and does some reading, Derek cleans, does dishes and laundry. He kicks Stiles’ feet when he vacuums the rug. 

"I didn't know you cleaned," Stiles says. 

Derek looks insulted. "You've been to the loft. It's never messy." 

"I just assumed that's because you don't have enough stuff to be messy." 

Derek snorts and goes back to vacuuming. When Lucy needs a change he does that too. Then he disappears into the kitchen and Stiles can’t really deal with any of it so he just concentrates on Lucy, who is lying on his stomach, and the archeology journal he’s reading. 

— 

Stiles smells cookies from the kitchen when the door buzzer goes off. 

He has to brace himself for their group. 

The problem with a small friend group that includes supernatural creatures, who all went back to Beacon Hills after college or never left, is they've all dated each other by this point. So Malia shows up with Kira, who says they aren't seriously dating, but they are totally dating. And Scott shows up with Isaac, who came back two years ago and asked Scott out for a drink and now they live together. So it's not totally awkward that everyone has basically either dated each other or is one step removed from dating each other. 

Totally cool. Totally not weird. 

And definitely not kind of annoying to be one of the single ones. 

Kira, Malia, Scott, and Isaac pile into the apartment. Kira already has Lucy pulled into her arms and is cooing at her, Scott is hugging him so hard, rubbing his face all over him. It’s been a while since he’s seen any of them. School is sometimes a little too much and they’re all involved in their own lives. 

“Dude, it smells so good in here,” Scott says. 

Isaac drops himself onto the couch. "It smells so fucking good. Did you bake?" 

"I did," Derek says, coming from the kitchen with a tray of cookies. 

"I can't believe you bake," Stiles says. "You've got a baby and you make breakfast and cookies. It's like soft core porn." 

"Not in front of Lucy!" 

Stiles blushes. "I keep forgetting." 

"Oh my god, Derek," Malia says, dropping onto the floor. "You're wifing Stiles." 

Derek drops the tray of cookies on the coffee table. "What the hell are you talking about?" 

"I thought we couldn't swear in front of Lucy." Stiles scowls. "Also wifing?" 

"Look at him," Malia says. "Being such a good little omega for his—." 

"Malia," Scott says. "Stop." 

Derek looks kind of broken and upset and he made cookies for fuck's sake. 

"Don't be a dick, Malia," Stiles said. "Remember. We used to talk about reading the room." 

She does her whole put upon I-was-a-coyote-for-nine-years thing and sighs. "Sorry, Derek." 

"It's fine," Derek grits out. 

"Oh my god, though," Isaac groans around one of the cookies. "Why haven't you been making cookies forever. I will literally murder Lucy if it means I get more cookies." 

The thing is that he's also holding Lucy in his arms. Kira looks at her own hands like she doesn't know how it happened. 

"Jesus Christ," Stiles says. "Stop being such a psychopath." 

"Does anyone want beers or something?" Derek asks and he looks a little like he just wants to get out of the room. 

"I'll help," Stiles says, jumping up. "Beers for everyone?" 

"Beers for everyone," Isaac confirms. 

Stiles follows Derek into the kitchen and he wants to say something while they stand in the little nook where the fridge is, the only place hidden from the living room. But he knows that the wolves will be able to hear him. So he does what any self respecting dude who is taking care of a baby with the man who threatens to kill him regularly does. He grips the back of his neck and pulls Derek's forehead against his and apparently he's taller though he never realized it. Derek closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. 

"You okay?" Stiles asks, voice hushed even though it doesn't matter. 

Derek nods. "Yeah. I'm fine." 

"Okay." He thinks that maybe if this is a thing they're going to do maybe they should talk about how they need to talk about things. But it's weird with two werewolves, a were coyote, and a kitsune in the other room. 

Stiles grabs the beers and brings them back in for everyone. 

"I think it makes sense that Lucy and Derek stay here," Scott says to Stiles once Derek comes back in from the kitchen. "It'll keep them away from Beacon Hills if anyone comes looking for them but it's only a couple of hours if you need us." 

"Yeah that's fine," Stiles says. "I mean people do school and kids all the time and Derek is basically a stay at home dad. That cool with you, big guy?" 

Derek shrugs. "If I'm not there I need you guys running our territory daily to see if you catch any strange scents. I don't know what we're protecting her from or where she came from. We need to figure that out. If we can continuously do research and get the full picture we can better protect Lucy." 

Lucy babbles at that. 

Stiles is just trying to ignore the familiar feeling he gets from Derek being authoritative. They haven't had many pack meetings with Stiles involved, but lately Derek has been yielding to Scott as a gesture of good will. But Derek acting as alpha is much sexier. 

"Is that all we need to do?" Stiles asks. "I was thinking we could order lunch and watch a movie or something." 

"What can Lucy watch?" Kira asks. 

"Derek doesn't let her watch anything. So probably whatever. She has no taste yet. If we're going to have her in the pack forever, maybe we should make her weird." 

"I'll give her a bottle and put her down for a nap," Derek says, taking Lucy from Isaac and kissing her on the head. "Can we keep the volume low?" 

Isaac rolls his eyes. "She's a wolf, Derek." 

"She's still an infant." 

"A puppy," Stiles says. 

"Pup," says Derek and cradles her closer to his chest. 

" _God_ ," Stiles says. "You're so gross." 

Malia laughs.


	6. Derek Loves His Mama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek shows a lot of feelings (a lot of feelings for Derek, a normal person probably shows that much every day).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't particularly love this chapter. But I looooooove Papa Stilinski

After Lucy successfully falls asleep—Stiles has never known a baby to be so good, but maybe it's Derek—they put on a Marvel movie and order food for lunch. They're all coupled up, Scott and Isaac on the floor together, Malia sitting between Kira's legs and Derek and Stiles next to each other on the other end of the couch. They feel a little squished, not that Stiles would ever complain. 

It’s a little too comfortable. He wants to stretch his arm around Derek’s shoulders, pull him closer, bury his face in his neck. 

Probably not a great place to be mentally, especially when Derek scoots a little closer. 

But nothing else happens. No one does or says anything. Derek doesn't just climb into Stiles' lap and ride him like he wants. They just do what they're doing. And sometime in the late afternoon the pack gets up and stretches, sore from sitting in the same position so long. They give a lot of hugs, go in and kiss Lucy, who is still asleep. 

"I'm gonna go outside and call my dad," Stiles says to Derek when they're alone. Because he doesn't really know what to do at all. It feels like a lot more happened than really did. 

Derek nods. "Okay." 

Stiles goes out into the hallway. He leans against the wall and closes his eyes for a second before calling his dad. 

“Dad,” Stiles says when his dad answers the phone. 

“Son.” And Stiles can just _tell_ by his voice. 

“Oh god, you _know_.” 

“I saw Scott this morning.” 

“He didn’t say anything.” 

“I told him not to.” 

“It’s been a crazy two days. That’s why I didn’t call yesterday.” 

“Is Derek still there?” 

“Yeah.” 

“And the _baby_?” 

“I’m not going to kill her, dad.” 

“Really? You can barely keep yourself alive.” 

“Yeah, well, I’ve kept you alive. And Derek is here. He’s like totally in charge. He loves this apparently.” 

“Loves the baby thing?” 

“Yeah. Like so much. It’s gross.” 

His dad chuckles. “He does seem like a man who loves babies.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. There are those guys who just love babies. They tend to also love puppies.” 

“God. Don’t even start. I can’t even think about Derek with puppies. I’ll probably combust.” 

“I don’t want to know.” His dad pauses. “But you guys are safe? It’s not going to hurt your schoolwork?” 

“No. Derek is pretty on top of it. And we don’t know a lot. We’re all looking, but it’s kind of difficult since we have no idea where she came from.” 

“What's her name?" 

"Lucy." 

"I'll try to do some digging too," he says. "But I want to meet her. I'm coming down this weekend." 

"Dad." 

"If you've got a baby living with you, I want to know that baby." 

"Are you also a guy that loves babies?" 

"When you say it like that it sounds disgusting. But, yes, I love babies. It's a good quality. Women love it. And some men." 

"Ha." 

"I'll see you Friday, son. Send me pictures though. I can't believe you don't have a million already." 

— 

"My mom would have really liked you," Derek blurts once Stiles walks back into the apartment. 

He's buried up to his elbows in soapy dish water and he looks so cute Stiles wishes he could kiss him. But, he reminds himself, this is just Derek with a baby. Derek is just doing his whole taking care of someone thing he does. He's not doing these things for Stiles. 

Stiles sits at the island and stares at the baby monitor. It's nice to hear Lucy snore. "Really? Cora hated me." 

"Cora didn't hate you. She just didn't hide her annoyance. She's always been like that. A little like Erica or Lydia." Derek's voice stumbles over Erica a little. "But also she's a product of what happened to her. It doesn't leave a lot of room for tolerance." 

"I bet." 

"But she liked you enough. And my mom and Laura would have loved you. I just—with the whole baby thing—I keep thinking about them. Them liking you is really what matters. Not that Cora'a opinion matters less, but my mom and Laura are harder to impress. But they like people with opinions. They'd get less annoyed about that stuff than me. Even before I—you know—got like this." 

"Grumpy and broken?" 

"Do you think I'm broken?" Derek does that big eyed open face thing he does when .

"I think you've been putting yourself back together for a long time." 

Derek pulls his arms out of the soapy water and dries them. He lets out a shaky breath. "Yeah." 

"What about your dad?" 

"He would've loved you too, but he loved everyone. He was a lot like Scott and he was human. So he didn't have the same paranoia that my mom had. He was really into hugs and talking about feelings and stuff. He cried about everything." 

"Really?" 

"Yeah. He would just burst out in tears when anything got emotional. Even if he was happy. Mom loved it." 

Stiles could literally listen to Derek talk about his family for days. And he wants to hear it right now, sitting in the kitchen, listening to Lucy's snores. He looks so happy and like he's glowing and Stiles can feel it rolling off of him in waves. 

Derek let's out this shuddering breath. "Sometimes I think that I'm just like my mom, but really I think I'm like my dad. I just loved my mom more than anything." 

Lucy makes this little choked noise over the baby monitor on the bar and lets out a cry. They wait to see if it's just a fluke. But it's not. 

"I got it," Derek says. 

"I can—." 

"Stiles, you should do homework or something. She doesn't have to be your responsibility." 

"Helpless baby living in my apartment feels a little like my responsibility." 

"It's okay, Stiles. I got her." 

And Derek just walks into the other room and Stiles kind of feels like he did something wrong, but he can't figure it out. 


	7. Tonight The Lone Wolf Rides Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles does research, Derek punishes himself for nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is only up so fast because I really love writing people feeling bad about themselves.

After a weirdly silent dinner, Derek helps clean up and disappears to give Lucy a bath and put her to bed. 

Stiles does research because it's what's he's good at. There's a reason he went into archeology and not law enforcement. Well that and the crippling panic attacks he gets now when he has to handle a gun. Or the nightmares and three day long research binges without sleep. He's handling things better than he used to and the lack of sleep works for a PhD program. But he's still kind of a mess. 

Anyway. 

He skips right through to all their compiled bestiaries and notes on werewolves and then moves into mating. It's not like he hasn't skimmed it before. He just never gave it that much thought. He figured that the stuff he found online was just like fan fiction stuff. And he loves that. But it never seems like real life. 

He wasn't sure if he should show Derek fan fiction for his books. His favorite being the one where Declan is an omega and is very angry about going into heat. 

It's adorable and sexy and Stiles opens it up on a new tab to reread it later.

He goes back to the research and starts making a list of what he learns. 

  * werewolves do not mate for life
  * werewolves sometimes mate for life
  * werewolves rarely mate for life
  * alpha/beta/omega presentation was tied to the social hierarchy within the pack until the 1920s
  * the suffrage movement may have had an impact on changes
  * werewolves rarely present biologically as alpha or omega anymore—most are betas
  * still some discrimination among werewolves against omegas
  * there is no more discrimination against omegas
  * has more to do with mating than anything else—alphas and omegas tend to seek each other out
  * male omegas cannot bear children, but tend to gravitate towards maternal roles



He gets into the explicit sex stuff pretty quickly after that, but he feels this weird thing like he wants to find out the truth for himself. And really it has something to do with the dude singing a werebaby to sleep in the other room. 

And holy fuck. Derek is singing to her. His voice hushed. And Derek has kind of got a nice soft voice anyway and it's actually beautiful. 

Derek fucking Hale would have a beautiful fucking voice that sexy motherfucker. Fuck that guy. 

Ugh god Stiles really wants to fuck that guy. 

And maybe it's more than that because he's always had this base level attraction to Derek. Even before he let his beard grow out a little into this sexy fucking thing. Before Stiles was the wise learned man he is today, he would lament that someone like Derek would never let Stiles fuck him. Probably never let anyone fuck him. 

Then Stiles realized that stereotypes were for tools and sometimes the skinny dude, who could only grow a beard in weird patches, did fuck the big burly hairy man of his dreams. And after that wonderful realization, courtesy of that guy at that party that one time, Stiles has literally never been able to imagine anything other than himself between Derek's thighs just fucking dying—dying fucking. Heh. 

So the voice thing doesn't make him want to fuck Derek. 

It kind of makes him want to marry him. 

Derek's singing stops and the door to the bedroom opens. 

Derek sits down on the couch next to Stiles. "You're looking up that omega thing?" 

"What? No! How dare you!" 

"Stiles. You could've just asked." 

"I didn't—it seemed like a sore subject." 

"It's fine," Derek says. 

" _Are_ you an omega?" Stiles blurts before he can stop himself. 

Derek looks a little ashamed. "Yeah." 

“Everything says it doesn’t matter the same way anymore.” 

“It doesn’t, but people still say stuff.” 

Stiles wants to know stuff. Wants to know what it’s like for Derek, but he doesn’t really know how to ask. 

“I—you’re—do you, like—is there an alpha for you.” 

Derek blushes deep red and Stiles blurts out an apology. 

“It’s okay,” Derek says. “No. After everything, I’m—I’m better alone, you know.” 

And that’s kind of it. Because Stiles reads that loud and clear. They might be co-parenting a baby—or Stiles might be like side-parenting while Derek actually parents—but it’s only wishful thinking on Stiles’ part that something could happen between them. They were sitting close on the couch because there was no other room. Derek said the thing about his mom because he’s thinking about his family while taking care of a baby. It’s all understandable. 

The way he pulled Stiles to him the night before is just because of his need for contact. It has nothing to do with it being Stiles. 

Stiles stands up from the couch. “I’m going to go read in bed if you want to, like, go for a run or something.” 

He shouldn’t be hurt by Derek’s preference to be alone. And why would it be Stiles anyway? He’s just a puny human. 

Even so, he doesn’t say anything else before heading into the room. 


	8. Cupcakes Are Tastier Than Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and Derek plan a party. Stiles goes to yoga.

Things just keep going. Derek takes care of the baby, Stiles goes to school, comes home, grades with one hand while feeding Lucy with the other while Derek naps on the couch. Stiles’ dad comes over almost every weekend to spend time with her. He keeps calling Lucy his grandwere and it’s weird. But he’ll take her to the park leaving Stiles and Derek alone to not sit too close or say anything too serious. 

And then they fall asleep together with Lucy in her new crib at the end of the bed and Stiles dies a little inside each time. 

They don't watch TV anymore, but Stiles does know more baby songs than he ever thought he would know and most of Shostakovich's major works. Derek also takes too many pictures of Lucy with Stiles and himself. Kira teaches him about selfies and after about a week there are a thousand new pictures of Derek and Lucy making faces at the camera. 

The pack continues to sniff out unfamiliar scents, most things leading nowhere. They report back their negative findings every few days and life just keeps going. Before they even realize it it's the end of May and Stiles is finishing up his finals. 

"Should we have a seven month celebration for Lucy?" Derek asks over dinner one night. They eat dinner as a family because they are platonic co-parents and they want things to be normal for their semi-adopted werebaby. 

"We did a six month birthday." 

"Yeah and a seven month celebration. We're just happy she's here." 

"Everyone is going to kill us. We're probably like on the edge of annoying." 

Derek smiles and it’s so sweet because he does that now and Stiles wants to die. ”We’ll provide cake." 

"We can disguise it as a pack meeting. To go over the total lack of anything we have on her." 

“Who knows,” Derek says. “We could have something by next week.” 

Stiles is pretty certain that he hears Derek’s voice crack on that. But it really isn’t a surprise. Derek probably would call off the search completely if he didn’t feel guilty about it. 

Stiles grabs his shoulder in a camaraderie gesture that’s really an excuse to feel up his muscles. “We probably won’t, buddy.” 

And Derek does this weird thing where he puts his hand over Stiles’ fingers for a moment. Then he pulls away and scoots closer towards Lucy who is silent and watching them. 

— 

Stiles has been doing yoga lately because stress and Derek demands at least six hours of sleep and he can't get up and pace like he used to because it might wake Lucy up. So he needs something that's going to relax him enough to actually fall asleep for more than three hours at a time.

Sometimes it's not that difficult because Derek is a giant cuddling furnace and it's hard to not fall asleep in his arms. Other times Stiles obsesses about their conversations, knowing he'll never have Derek and waiting until Lucy and Derek go on a morning jog before jerking off furiously in the shower. He doesn't sleep a lot on those nights. 

So yoga. 

And he's surprisingly good at it. The long limbs work for him. So does the challenge of holding a post for more than thirty seconds. Also there's the pretty hot, possibly Brazilian instructor named Leonardo who likes to put his hands on Stiles' back a lot. 

After the last class in their monthly session, on the morning of Lucy's seven month party, Leonardo keeps him behind. 

He's cute and possibly only a couple years older than Stiles. He's got short hair and tanned skin and he's kind of thick, but oh so bendy. 

Leonardo looks down at his feet before looking up at Stiles and this must be a move he uses because it's perfect. It's like when Derek does it. But when Derek does it it's not a move. He just has those big eyes and perfect lips. 

"What's up?" Stiles asks because fuck. 

"I don't mean to be blunt, but would you like to get a drink?" 

"Now?" 

"Uh, well it's noon so no? But maybe another time. We…was I reading this wrong? I'm sorry." 

"No! No. You definitely weren't reading it wrong. I just—." 

Stiles' phone buzzes and he fumbles for it. And it's a goddam picture of Derek and Lucy making the same blue steel face. They're wearing party hats. God it's so cute. 

"Sorry," Stiles says putting his phone away. 

"Would you like to get drinks tonight?" Leonardo asks. "I could pick you up." 

"I'd like to. Really. But we're having this thing tonight. And like I'd totally invite you, but it's for a baby so like I wouldn't make you do that." 

Leonardo laughs like Stiles is hilarious and Stiles isn't exactly sure where the joke is. 

"All right," he says. "If I give you my number will you call me?" 

"Definitely," Stiles says. His phone buzzes again and this time it's a text. 

**D-Rock** : Can you pick up the cupcakes on your way home? 

And like there's this weird flutter in his stomach at Derek calling his apartment home. 

He looks back to Leonardo. "Just, uh, what's your number?" 

Leonardo rattles it off and Stiles types it in. He says bye and walks away and as he gets in the car he calls Derek because he has this weird urge to hear his voice even though he's going to be back at his place in twenty minutes. 

He's kind of a mess. 

"The cupcakes are at that cake store," Derek says when he answers, nice and vague as always. 

"I know. I just—is Lucy excited?" 

"Are you okay? Did something happen?" 

"I'm fine." 

"Your voice sounds strange." 

"I'm tired from yoga." 

“Oh. It was good, yeah?” 

“Yeah.” Stiles clears his throat. “Okay. Well. I should get the cupcakes and whatever. I’ll see you at home, bro.” 

“Bro” comes out a little strangled and weird, but Derek just makes an affirmative grunt and hangs up the phone. 

Stiles has to stop outside the cupcake place and bang his forehead against the steering wheel a few times before heading inside. 

And then he shoves a cupcake in his mouth on the way home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! [ Tumblr ](www.bifuriousderek.tumblr.com)!


	9. When Is A Meeting Not A Meeting? When It's A Party.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek gets a phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter update! Yay! 
> 
> This one's short because we're getting plotty. Since now I kind of know what's going on.

Only Scott, Kira, and Malia make it to the party disguised as a pack meeting. And they know that it’s really a party because Kira has a comic book wrapped up for Lucy that she says isn’t even inappropriate, but Derek throws aside. And Scott has a little dress and hair band from his mom and steaks for later because Lucy has a thing for raw meat and she doesn’t get sick if she’s wolfed out so they let it happen. 

Malia doesn’t bring anything, but she does sit down on the couch with Lucy and wolf out with her until Lucy erupts into a fit of laughter and falls over onto her side, which scares her. 

They don’t really talk about the looking for Lucy’s mom thing. They haven’t caught any new scents, haven’t seen anything weird. There are no reports of a missing or dead woman or a missing or dead child. No one is looking for her, no one even knows about her except for the pack, apparently. 

“Chris is looking into some stuff,” Scott says while Derek serves cupcakes. “He’s asking around if any hunters know anything.” 

“Good,” Derek says. Derek and Chris have this weird thing going on where they’re like reluctant bros, but also they really like each other. Stiles suspects it has a lot to do with their beautiful eyes and facial hair and their penchant for threatening to murder Stiles. 

“So,” Malia says. “How’s baby life?” 

Derek looks at Stiles a moment. Stiles has Lucy in his arms now and she’s making a huge mess of both of their cupcakes and really there’s no point in anything. Derek’s got this soft look on his face, his eyebrows all relaxed, his mouth open a little, showing his bunny teeth. 

“It’s good,” Derek says. And then he coughs. “She’s probably easier than a human baby.” 

“Derek always knows why she’s crying,” Stiles says. 

Derek's phone rings and he looks down at it. There's a name Stiles doesn't recognize. And it's not like it's a thing. They're platonic co-parents. They aren't in love or dating and Stiles doesn't need to know everything that's going on with him. Stiles got asked out anyway! Stiles didn’t tell Derek. Why would Derek tell him? 

"I'll be right back," Derek says.

Stiles might make a noise that sounds like, “Don’t go.” But he probably is just imagining it. 

Scott looks at Stiles and makes a face, but his mouth is full of chocolate cupcake and he's got a party hat on his head, so the effect is kind of lost. 

The bedroom door shuts and Malia makes a noise. "Oh my god. You guys are so gross." 

"What?" Stiles asks. 

"You're so _married_ ," she says. 

"Is it awkward for you?" Kira asks Malia sincerely.

"Is what awkward for me?" 

"Well you and Stiles used to— _you know_." 

Stiles groans and pulls Lucy back into his lap before she crawls away. She twists away from him and goes after a crinkly book across the floor, trailing cupcake crumbs as she goes. She's kind of an expert crawler at this point. 

"Fuck?" Malia asks Kira nods, eyes wide. "Is it awkward for you and Scott since you used to fuck?" 

"It is right now," Scott says with his mouth full. 

"Guys," Stiles says. "Derek will murder us for talking like this in front of Lucy." 

"Are you dating Derek?" Kira asks. 

"No," he says. 

Malia points a piece of cake at Kira. "They're just super married annoying gay dads together," she says. “You know the rest of us are casual and who’d ever think you and Derek would be the totally married ones.” 

“First of all I have never casually hooked up with anybody,” Stiles says, which doesn’t sound much like a brag at all. More like he just couldn’t deal with it when he was getting his masters and he really can’t deal with it now that he’s getting his PhD. 

“You haven’t dated anyone in years,” Malia says. “And Derek hasn’t either.” 

“Yeah, but like for some very good reasons.” 

“Are we casual?” Kira asks Malia, derailing Stiles’ train of thought because once he gets on feeling sad for all of Derek’s horrible relationships it’s hard to stop himself until he hugs Derek until one of them vomits. “I was kind of operating under the assumption that we weren’t.” 

“We’re not dating other people. We’re just not getting married.” 

"Derek and I aren't getting married," Stiles says. "We're taking care of Lucy. That's it. I could like go on a date right now. I got asked out this morning by my yoga instructor. I could call him." 

Scott snorts. "Why don't you then?” 

Stiles glares at him because Scott does this thing now where he’s kind of miserable without Isaac and it’s annoying. And Stiles knows what he’s getting at because of course Scott knows about Stiles possibly monumental crush on Derek. They’re best friends. Stiles doesn’t even have to tell him.

"What am I going to say when he asks what's going on in my life, Scott? That I am in a platonic co-parenting situation with a werewolf and the werebaby we're looking after and we sleep in the same bed so we can't ever come here." 

"You got asked out by your yoga instructor?" Derek asks from the doorway. He's clutching his phone in his hand like he's going to crush it. It must've been a bad phone call. 

"Yeah," Stiles says. "But obviously that's not going to happen." 

"You should go out with him," Derek says. "If you want to. Don't—obviously I can watch Lucy for the night. It's not like I do much." 

Stiles turns away from him and looks down at his own phone. "Yeah. Uh—maybe I'll do that then." 

Malia makes a noise, but Scott shoots her a look and she shuts up. 

"So," Kira says. "Who was on the phone?” 

"It sounded important," Scott says. 

Derek grips his phone harder. "You were listening in?" 

"Not really. Just your tone and stuff. I was trying to block out the conversation here." 

"It's hard to be the fifth wheel," Kira says, nodding her head. 

"It's only because Isaac's working," Scott snaps. Then he looks back at Derek. "So who was it?" 

"No one," Derek says. 

Stiles likes to think he’ll get the full story later, but Derek’s eyebrows are drawn, lips set in a line. It’s Derek’s closed off look from when Stiles was sixteen and seventeen and it’s not good. Stiles hasn’t seen it in a long time. 


	10. I Wish Everyone Was Alive and No One Was Sad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek tells Stiles about the phone call. He made a much bigger deal out of it than he needed to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's kind of a plot now! So I'm on a roll writing-wise and I'm hoping that there will be at least one more chapter tonight, who knows. Maybe more. The next one is very angsty so hold on to your butts!

Derek doesn't say anything for a while. The party ends awkwardly. With Kira shoving Malia and Scott out the door and Stiles demanding they take cupcakes. Stiles and Derek clean up together, though Stiles isn't much help at all. Lucy rolls around between bumpers on the floor and shrieks and babbles along with the low music Derek out on. She’s big on the consonants lately and maybe it made Stiles and Derek cry the first time she called them tata and dada. Or she might not have been calling them that, but those seem to be her sounds for them. 

Derek has on Sibelius because that's who Derek is all about now and it seems to be doing a pretty solid job of keeping her from paying attention to their feelings. Derek is scrubbing the counter so hard it might crack and Stiles just follows him around with his hands out like it might help. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Stiles asks. 

"You know what I should have done," Derek says. "I should have made my _own_ cupcakes." 

He picks up the empty cupcake box and throws it in the garbage. 

"Aren't we recycling?" Stiles asks which is a stupid thing to ask an obviously pissed off werewolf. 

" _You_ can dig it out of the garbage if you want to recycle it." Then his eyes go wide and his shoulders pull in. He looks away from Stiles. "Sorry. That was—." 

"Dickish?" Stiles suggests. 

Derek snorts. "Yeah." 

Stiles rubs Derek's arm because that's where they're at. Though Derek looks at it until Stiles pulls away and that feels very uncomfortable. 

"You can just tell me." 

"Later." 

Stiles can respect that. He wants to know. And there are a thousand things going on in his head. Someone found a lead on Lucy. Something happened to Cora. Peter's back—Stiles has been waiting on that one for a while now. It could be anything. 

They eat a light dinner and watch some inane cartoon, breaking the no TV rule because Derek can't sit still for anything and they just need to wear Lucy out. She falls asleep on Stiles' chest about halfway through and after a while Stiles notices Derek staring at them. And there's no right way to handle an intense Derek stare. 

"What?" Stiles asks. 

Derek just shakes his head. He reaches out and runs his hands over Lucy's black hair. She's got a lot of it even when she's not wolfed out. 

"I really… _love_ her," Derek says like it's hard. Like he isn't constantly kissing Lucy's hair and telling her how much he loves her. How perfect she is. Stiles would probably be jealous if he didn't feel the exact same way. 

"I know you do," Stiles says.

"I know that this isn't perfect," Derek says. "Or ideal. You never wanted or expected this. But I'm happy that I’m doing this with you." 

Stiles kisses Lucy's head. "There's no one else I'd want to raise someone else's kid with." 

"You should go out with your yoga instructor if you want to." Derek's eyebrows draw together again. "Don't let this hold you back." 

Stiles nods, kisses Lucy again. "Yeah. I might." 

"I'll take her to bed," Derek says, standing up. 

"Will you tell me about the phone call then?" Stiles asks. 

Derek plucks Lucy off his chest and nods. "Yeah. Want to grab me a beer?" 

Stiles jumps off the couch. "Done." 

Stiles sits at the bar in the kitchen and strains to listen to Derek sing quietly to Lucy. It's always the same song and it's something Stiles either kind of knows or has never heard before and he can't ever make out the words. Something about shadows maybe. 

Derek emerges from the room, looking a little worn. 

"What are you singing?" Stiles asks. "Is it like a secret werewolf ballad? Is that why I can't ever hear it?" 

Derek chuckles. "No. It's Bob Dylan, Stiles." 

"What? Then why can't I hear it? Wait—were you singing 'Not Dark Yet' to Lucy? She is a child, Derek, and that is the most depressing song in the world." 

Derek shrugs. "I didn't know you could hear me at all. And my mom used to sing it to me." 

"Jesus," Stiles says. "Did she look at you and think 'I predict this child's life will be the most depressing?'" 

"She wouldn't have been far off. But no. I think it was just her favorite." 

"God it would be your mother's favorite song." 

"I don't know what my dad's was, but it was probably much happier."

Derek looks so sad that he doesn't know his dad's favorite song and will never know that Stiles just starts singing. 

" _Here comes the sun do do do do._ "

Derek snorts. "You have a horrible voice." 

"I wasn't trying. We can't all be like you, asshole. And I was just thinking that that was probably your dad's favorite song." 

"Probably." Derek sits down and takes a giant gulp of his beer. "I'm sorry for being all— _you know_ —like me today." 

"Dude I know by now that Angry Derek is not Real Derek." 

"I was just—it wasn't a bad call. I was trying to figure it out." 

Stiles looks into his already half-empty bottle. "You know like part of this co-parenting thing should be that we talk to each other about stuff. Especially if we need to figure things out. I mean we can't just be making decisions without talking to each other. Because like I'm pretty attached to Lucy at this point and I don't really see you or her moving out any time soon. You know, unless we figure out who she belongs to." 

Derek swallows and nods. "My editor needs me to come to New York for a meeting and then my agent set up a meeting with a producer to talk about a TV show based on the series too." 

Stiles can't really describe the weird jump his stomach does. "Derek. That's fucking amazing! That's so cool. That's huge!" 

Derek doesn't look so excited. In fact, he looks sick. "I have to leave tomorrow." 

"Oh." 

"And I'll be gone until Friday." 

Stiles gets why this is a problem. Because Derek will have an impossible time being away from Lucy for five nights. And he can't bring Lucy with him because she's kind of a secret and if she wolfed out in public—which is a total possibility—they'd be fucked. 

"It's okay," Stiles says, putting his hands on Derek's shoulders. "You need to go. This is a big deal and your books deserve to be treated beautifully and they will be if you're there. Because you're great." 

Derek might blush and it might make Stiles want to kiss the end of his nose. 

"And I'm done with classes," Stiles says. "I'm done until September. I'm just doing research. I don't even have to work. So, like, I'll be here with Lucy all the time. And if I need it I can call my dad." 

"You'll have to put your life on hold." 

"For five days. It's fine. I do less when I actually have to do things. It's okay." 

Derek runs a hand through his hair and it's gotten a little longer, a little thicker, same as his beard. He doesn't have enough time to really take care of it, but it still looks beautiful. Truthfully Stiles likes it better this way. 

"I don't want to leave her." 

"Well FaceTime every night and during the day if you want. I'll send you pictures every minute." 

Derek relaxes a little and Stiles realizes he still has his hands on Derek's shoulders. He pulls them off slowly. 

"I'll hold you to it," Derek says. 

"We'll have a lot of fun just the two of us. We'll listen to pop music and I'll sing her Miley Cyrus and we'll watch bad TV and eat raw steak. It'll be great." 

"No Miley Cyrus." 

"I can't believe you even know who she is." 

"I don't live under a rock."

"You lived in an abandoned train." 

Derek smiles at the countertop. "Erica had really bad taste in music." 

Stiles can feel the sadness and regret bleeding off Derek probably because it's coming off himself too. This is part of the reason why Derek's scared to leave Lucy, to find out anything about Lucy. He's lost so many people. He must live his life waiting to lose the next one. 

Stiles bites the bullet and wraps his arms around him in a hug. It takes a moment but Derek finally hugs back. 

"I've got this," Stiles says. "You're going to be great and then you'll get back and we can celebrate by attempting to take Lucy to a restaurant. Or we can get my dad to babysit and we can go to a restaurant." 

"I'll hold you to that too." 

—

Stiles drives Derek to the airport the next day. Lucy dozes in her car seat. She loves the car and Stiles makes inappropriate jokes about cracking the window so she can poke her head out.

“Inappropriate,” Derek says, but he’s smiling all soft and sad. 

Stiles could kiss him before he leaves. Then they wouldn’t even have to see each other to deal with the embarrassment. 

He doesn’t kiss him. He just walks Derek as far as he can and they do a big group hug. Derek kisses Lucy on the forehead and she does this delighted full body shake when his beard scratches her face. She loves the beard as much as Stiles and for vastly different reasons. 

“Dadadadadadada,” she says, smacking him in the face with a chubby hand and then head butting him. She’s kind of aggressive. Stiles blames Malia. 

“I’ll miss you,” Derek says to her and maybe to Stiles too. 

“We’re going to miss you a lot,” says Stiles. “But you’ll text when you land and we’re going to try to sleep and then you can call as soon as you wake up. It doesn’t matter how early it is here.” 

“You’ll be pissed if I wake you up.” 

“Yeah, well, I’ll get over it if you need me to.” 

“I’ll text you in the morning and we’ll take it from there.” 

Stiles punches him in the shoulder and then hates himself for it. “Sounds like a plan, Stan.” 

Derek just rolls his eyes, kisses Lucy one more time and then heads through security. He turns and waves to Stiles and Lucy. Stiles picks up Lucy’s hand and waves for her. She ends up smacking Stiles in the face and Derek disappears into the airport with a smile. 


	11. Lucy Knows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy gets her eyes from her mother and her expert brow furrowing from Derek Hale

The first night without Derek is rough. Rougher than stiles expected. He thought that Lucy would have a hard time adjusting to life without Derek, but she _knows_ Stiles. She _loves_ Stiles. But she screams and wolfs out and digs her claws and teeth into Stiles’ arms. She shrieks until she starts hiccuping and then she vomits everywhere. 

She has a lot more mobility as a wolf and when Stiles finally puts her to sleep in her crib, after bandaging the bites and cuts on his arms and cleaning all the vomit off himself, she crawls out of it and vaults into the bed with Stiles. She cuddles up next to them. 

Stiles lets her curl into his arm, a little like a puppy. “You’re sending me mixed signals here, kid.” 

She looks up at him with her big, curious, human eyes. 

And starts to laugh. 

At three in the morning, they finally get to sleep. Lucy curled up next to him and Stiles curled around her, like he can protect her from everything. 

—

Stiles is tired the next day, but he has to run some errands so he brings Lucy along with him while he goes to the grocery store and the bank and library. Everyone who meets her loves her and she is pretty big on waving right now, which somehow makes her even cuter.

Then he brings her to the yoga studio so he can update his payment information and Leonardo is just finishing up a class. He’s shirtless and a little sweaty and Stiles has a baby strapped to his chest.

Leonardo smiles. “Is this the baby you were having a party for?” 

For the first time that day Lucy does not laugh or smile. She just stares at him, her forehead a little wrinkled. 

“Yeah,” Stiles says. “This is Lucy. She’s my—uh—niece!” 

He feels guilty for saying that and he doesn’t know why. He can’t just introduce her as his daughter even though he’s been doing that all day. That felt so easy and right. And now he feels like he needs to apologize. 

“It’s nice to meet you Lucy,” Leonardo says, reaching out and pretending to shake her hand.

Lucy growls and Leonardo takes a step back. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a baby do that.” 

“Yeah, her dad is a bad influence on her.” 

Leonardo meets Stiles’ eyes. “Have you thought about going out at all?” 

“Yeah. Yes. I have. I’d like to. I just—I haven’t had a chance to—it’s just me and Lucy until Friday.” 

Leonardo looks down at his feet and he does bashful so well. “Oh. Okay. I was kind of hoping that we could do something Wednesday. But it’s okay.” 

“No, no. I’ll get a babysitter. That’s fine.” 

“We can just get dinner.” 

“Yeah. That sounds good. I’ll text you and everything. We can figure it out.” 

Leonardo smiles and he has dimples for days. He’s not like Derek really, but it’s not like he’s hard to look at. “Great. I’ll seeyou Wednesday.” 

“Wednesday,” Stiles says and waves before turning and walking out of the studio. 

Lucy growls low under her breath for most of the ride home. 

—

Stiles lays back in bed. It feels too big and empty without Derek there and he thinks that Lucy can feel it too. He runs his hand over Lucy’s hair.

“She’s sleeping in the bed with me,” Stiles says. 

“Is she?” Derek asks. 

“Yeah. I think she doesn’t like that you aren’t here so she’s taking your place.” 

“She understands that someone needs to protect you.” 

“I don’t know. She was a little bitey last night.” 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah I’m fine. She’s still tiny.” 

“She _is_ ,” Derek says and it comes out like a whine. “Is she asleep?” 

“Not quite.” 

She looks up at Stiles and mutters a sleepy sounding, “Tatatatatatatata.” 

“Tell her to go to sleep.” 

“Oh I’m sure that will do it. You know how good babies are at listening.” 

“Tell her I love her.” 

“Do you want me to put you on FaceTime?” 

“No. I want you to let her sleep.” 

“But you want me to tell her you love her.” 

“Yes.” 

“Okay. Lucy, Derek says he loves you.” 

“Dadadada,” Lucy says. 

“So how much psychological damage are we going to do to her if we let her call you dad?” Stiles asks. He strokes a finger over her cheek. She’s really perfect. 

“I don’t know,” Derek says. “The whole situation is kind of weird anyway. But what will she call you?” 

“I don’t know. I always liked how papa sounds.” 

Derek hums. “Me too.” 

“So tell me about your day,” Stiles says around a yawn. It’s not late for Derek, but after the night before and spending all day trying to keep Lucy from wolfing out and vaulting through the window and the emotional trauma of making date plans, Stiles is really tired. “How were your meetings?” 

“Fine,” Derek says. “They were just about due dates and series plans and how I should proceed with the possibility of a show.” 

“Do you think the show is a high possibility.” 

“My agent seems to think so. She’s a little intense, though. Like Lydia, but more optimistic. So who knows. I’ll find out in the meeting on Wednesday.” 

“What else is planned for the week?” 

“I have to sign a lot of book plates. I also think that I’m going to do a couple of in person signings. I’ve never done it before, but I am slowly becoming okay with letting myself do that.” 

“The pack might find out. I know for a fact that Kira ships O’Daniels.” 

“O’Daniels? Really? But there has to be a better options.” 

“There isn’t. There are a lot of discussions.” 

“Oh.” 

“You nervous?” 

“Yeah. Of course. How was your day?” 

Stiles clears his throat, he’s going to have to tell Derek at some point anyway. “I—uh—I made plans with my yoga instructor.” 

“For the two of you?” Stiles can’t really read Derek’s voice and that doesn’t feel like a good thing. 

“No, for him and Lucy.” 

“Stiles.” 

“Yeah. We’re going to get dinner on Wednesday.” 

“But I won’t be around.” 

“I know. I figured I'd just leave Lucy with twenty bucks and she can order herself a pizza.” 

Derek doesn’t chuckle, but Stiles does. It doesn’t really ease the tension. “Stiles.”

“My dad’s going to babysit, Derek. It’s fine.” 

“Fine.” 

“Are you mad at me?” 

“You’re just going to _leave_ Lucy to fuck some guy.” 

“Woah, dude. That’s totally uncalled for. You’re the one who told me to go out with him.” 

“I assumed that I would be home.” 

“I’m not going to leave Lucy alone all night. It’s just dinner.” 

Derek snorts and Stiles sits up in bed, gently moving Lucy to the side. She makes a distressed little noise in her sleep and Stiles rubs her back. 

He hisses, “Are you _kidding_ me right now, Derek? Do you really think I’d just leave Lucy like that? Also are you like judging how I date when you know nothing about it.” 

“You _are_ leaving Lucy.” 

“I’m leaving her alone with my father for— _at the most_ —three hours.” 

“She’s never gone to bed without one of us there to put her down.” 

“She’ll be fine. She loves my dad.” He pulls at his hair and for some reason he feels like he’s going to cry. He might actually be crying. “ _Fuck_.” 

“I don’t like it,” Derek says. “I’m pissed that you’re doing this. Remember when you wanted to talk about shit. Well that’s how I feel.” 

“I have to go to sleep.” Stiles wipes his eyes on the back of his arm. “I just—look I’ll talk to you tomorrow or whatever.” 

“Yeah.” 

Stiles hangs up the phone and doesn’t throw it because he doesn’t want to wake up Lucy, who’s eyebrows has a little crease between them. He doesn’t feel bad for going on a date. But there’s an ache in his chest and he keeps repeating the way Derek said “you’re just going to leave Lucy to fuck some guy” over and over to himself. 


	12. Lucy Is Literally The Smartest Person Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, maybe the Sheriff is smarter. But that's only because of years of wisdom and experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is short, but soon ACTION!

Stiles and Derek barely talk over the next few days. That isn't to say that Derek doesn't talk to Lucy. He calls Stiles says a terse, "Everyone safe?" And then Stiles puts the phone on FaceTime and props it up for Lucy to babble at. Derek is really good at faking conversation with her. Stiles is too. And it would be funny if Stiles wasn't so mad.

Stiles cleans while Derek and Lucy "talk." The apartment is kind of a mess without Derek around and dinner is more often than not takeout. And Lucy will occasionally freak out because she's only eating actual baby food instead of raw meat.

He hears Derek say, "Be good for Stiles," on Tuesday night, even though his voice is pinched and hushed. "Take care of him. I love you, Lucy. Bye!"

Derek blows a kiss loud enough for Stiles to hear and Stiles knows that the phone has been shut off when Lucy starts to whimper. He scoops her up off the ground and holds her to his chest.

" _Here comes the sun do do do do_ ," he sings. His voice isn't anywhere near as good as Derek's, but Lucy seems to like it. It's the only way Stiles has been able to keep her calm. " _Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter_."

Lucy yawns and Stiles sings the song about six more times before she finally falls asleep. He lays her in his bed and sits down on the edge of it. He looks at his phone and there's nothing from Derek.

He feels like an idiot and he also feels indignant. He doesn't _need_ to apologize to Derek. Maybe he should have made plans for after Derek came back. But Leonardo looked so sad. Also Derek was a total dick. There was no reason for that. It's on both of them maybe. One of them just needs to apologize first.

Stiles will probably do it when he picks Derek up from the airport on Friday. And Derek will frown until they get back and get into bed and then Derek will spoon up behind him and apologize when it's dark.

Sometimes it was like the only place Derek could separate the pieces of himself was in bed with Stiles.

Stiles lies back in his cold sheets and tries too hard not to think about that.

—

Stiles’ dad, who can’t be bothered to get up from the table to do dishes because of his “bad back,” is on the floor with Lucy, playing some weird game where they both crawl around and scream. Stiles sighs loudly in the doorway and both his dad and Lucy turn to look at him.

“You look nice,” his dad offers.

Stiles is wearing jeans and a sweater that might be Derek’s, but whatever Derek’s stuff fits Stiles better now and like it’s really nice and soft and red and doesn’t seem to have any blood on it. It's a weirdly chilly night for the first week of June, but it's just more of an excuse to wear the sweater.

He might miss Derek a lot and then he’s mad at himself for missing someone who is definitely an asshole.

"Thanks," Stiles says.

"When'd you get that sweater?"

Stiles shrugs. "I don't know. Sometime."

His dad nods because he knows everything. "You know, son, you don't have to go out tonight."

"Derek told me too."

His dad frowns. "I don't think—he might've been trying to make you feel better. I don't know if he meant it."

" _Dad_."

"It's just that you and Derek are raising a child together. That is an emotional situation. And for two people who are good friends it might—."

"Dad. Stop. Derek made it perfectly clear that he doesn't like me like that. This is just—he trusts me."

"That means a lot to Derek, though. Doesn't it?"

"Yeah. But it doesn't mean that—I just—can you drop it? I don't need this ten seconds before I go on a date."

Lucy growls and the door buzzer goes.

"That's him," says Stiles, grabbing his phone and heading to the door. "Call me if you need anything. Don't feed her steak! I don't care what Derek says. It can't be good for her all the time."

"Have fun, kid." His dad smiles, but it doesn't seem genuine. Leave it to his dad to start talking up Derek as a potential boyfriend. Stiles wants to shake him and say, remember that time you arrested him for murder?

He doesn't do that. He just goes downstairs to meet Leonardo.

—

As it turns out Leonardo is not that interesting. He doesn't do a lot besides yoga and it's all he talks about. He seems nervous and like he's just trying to keep Stiles around. Stiles made it clear at the beginning that he was going straight home to Lucy, but outside his door, Leonardo tugs on his hand and kisses him.

Stiles pulls away without returning the kiss. "I—uh—I need to get inside."

He hurries away without looking back and takes out his phone in the elevator, his thumb hovers over Derek's text from that morning.

 **D-Rock** : TV show happening

Stiles only texted back: great

It feels really stupid now. Maybe after his dad leaves Stiles will call Derek and apologize. Even if it's one in the morning in New York.

Stiles gets inside and it's late, but Lucy is rolling around on the floor between her bumpers. Stiles' dad is standing at the window. It's a little frosted over from the night air.

"Dad?"

"You're back early," he says. "Someone's been out there since you left. Weird silver car."

"It's probably nothing. It's an apartment complex by a college. People do weird stuff all the time."

"I don't know. It feels off."

"You have your sheriff's badge. Go down there and talk to them."

He nods. "I don't have jurisdiction here, but it can't hurt."

It's then that Stiles notices that the windows are much more frosted than they should be. Almost completely covered.

"Dad," he says. "Get away from the windows!"

He pulls Lucy into his arms and dives behind the couch just as the glass explodes inward and the lights in the apartment go dark.


	13. Yeah, but Do Henry and Declan Get Married?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BAMF Stiles doesn't really save the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I said canon typical violence in the tags and I think I'm there, but there's the one part that made me cringe writing it, so like I guess prepare ye? Unless I am more easily grossed out than everyone, which I doubt.

Stiles is aware of a few things. 

  1. He is alive.
  2. Lucy is alive and quiet, wrapped up in his arms.
  3. His dad is alive, but unconscious. There's blood on his head where he was hit with a beam from one of the windows.
  4. His dad is breathing. His dad is okay.
  5. This is probably Leonardo's fault.
  6. He is an _idiot_.



He hears feet coming up the stairs. Whoever broke the glass did it to incapacitate them. They aren't coming through the windows. But he has his phone out and is calling Scott. Whispering into the receiver when Scott answers as he runs into the kitchen with Lucy, ducking behind the bar and grabbing a knife. 

"Being attacked. My dad is hurt. Get here." 

He hangs up because he doesn't want anyone to hear Scott's voice. But whatever is attacking might not be entirely human so that could be pointless. 

The door bangs open and like _Jesus_. Stiles has had to replace that door twice now because of supernatural bullshit. He silently prays that his dad remains unconscious. It doesn't bode well for the extent of his head injury, but it will probably keep him from being killed. 

He hates himself in this moment for being human. He has no idea what's going on, but there are people in his apartment and he needs to protect Lucy from them. 

"We want the child," a man says. "Don't bother with the others." 

"Looks like one is already dead," says another man. 

A woman says, "Just unconscious. Leave him for now. Look for the child and kill Hale. The humans can live. We keep to the code." 

So there are at least three of them. And they're probably hunters. Though they're not talking like any people Stiles has ever met. Their voices are deep, old and slimy sounding. 

"Hale isn't here," says the second man. "I saw a thing on Instagram." 

Stiles almost laughs at that. He presses his lips to Lucy's forehead. She's still, like she knows. And she probably does. He puts his hand over her tummy like he does when she's sleeping. To feel the rise and fall with each breath. Reminding himself that she's there and real and he would definitely die for her. He might have to test that right now. 

" _What_?" The first man sounds livid. 

"He's got a signing in New York. I read his books." 

"You read his _books_?" 

"They're not bad. Too bad we have to kill him. There are supposed to be at least two more. Maybe we can find his notes? No he probably brought his laptop with him. It's just—are Declan and Henry going to be together forever? I need to know." 

The woman groans. "He won't fucking stop talking about him." 

There's a chill at Stiles' arm, like a breeze against his skin. He looks to his right and sees shimmering blue light. It gains shape, coming together, a large as a man. 

On the bright side, years of fighting and paranoia have prepared Stiles for this sort of thing. He might be getting a PhD, but it doesn't mean he's stopped practicing magic. That whole spark thing seemed to get more sparky as he got older and it’s not like he wouldn’t play with it. 

He whispers a spell into the knife he holds and a rune glows on the blade. He slices it through the blue smoke man and it dissipates with a shriek. 

"There!" 

Stiles winces as his living room is barreled over. He stands up, throws the knife with another whisper and it hits the woman in the chest. She goes down, but not before firing off a shot into Stiles' shoulder. He falls backwards, clutching Lucy to his chest so she doesn’t fall too. 

She snarls on top of him, tries to pull away. She's scared because Stiles is scared. But he got a look at them. Definitely hunters. They have something magical with them, which is weird and probably not totally “following the code” or any of that bull shit. At least the blue smoke man has disappeared for now. 

"Do not kill the child!" The first man screams. "If you think you might hit her, do not fire!" 

The second man launches himself over the bar and Stiles is ready with a knife, but this man is too. He blocks Stiles with a rolling pin, which is pretty clever. The knife glances off the wood and nicks his arm. The man doesn’t seem to mind, he pulls back, hits Stiles upside the head with the rolling pin so hard he can't see. He drives the knife wherever he can and it hits something soft and fleshy and the man lets put a groan. 

Stiles pulls out the knife and drives it into the exposed part of the man's neck. Magic flows from Stiles' chest and the man falls. He wraps himself around Lucy, who is clawing at him and biting. 

"Give up the girl and I promise I won't kill your father, Stilinski," says the first voice. 

"Stiles!" His dad shouts, his voice sounds heavy and slurred. "Don't let him touch her!" 

"Come over here and get her," Stiles growls from where he's huddled. His shoulder is really starting to hurt, his fingers are going a little numb. 

"We're not doing this your way. You come over here or I'll kill your father." 

"I have what you want and I've killed two of your guys and your stupid smoke dude so I don't think you're the one that should be making deals. How about you leave and I let you live?" 

"I'm the one with his boot on your father's neck," he says. "I promise Stiles. I don't want to hurt her." 

"Then why do you want her?" 

"I can't tell you that. Stop trying to stall me. I'm going to kill your father." 

His dad makes a gurgling sound and Stiles shoots up, holding Lucy to his chest, cradling her head. She's whimpering now. About three seconds away from full on crying. Stiles kisses her head again, trying to slow his heart rate so she can be calm. 

The man eases his boot off his dad's throat. He's not old. In his forties maybe. He's handsome, clean shaven. His hair is black and streaked with gray. And his blue eyes look sharp and delighted. Not the way a man should look when his partners are dead. 

"Stiles," his dad says, he tries to get up, but the man's adds a little more pressure with his shoe. "It's okay. You can't give her to him." 

"Tell me what you want with her," Stiles says, ignoring his dad. 

"You think it is just a coincidence that she was left to Derek. To the last semi-functioning Hale?" 

"I just figured he has a reputation." 

"Well you're wrong. And you were wrong about killing my druid." 

An icy force smacks into the side of Stiles' head and he has enough sense to veer away from the counter as he falls, protecting Lucy in his arms. His dad shouts, but it sounds far away when he hits the floor, landing on his hand a weird way. 

Pain is irrelevant right now. There’s a whole lot of it, but he can’t pay attention to it. All he wants to do is move and his body is not on board. He remembers lying on the ground, watching a man get crushed to death by a car. His car? He doesn’t remember right now. 

This feels a little like that moment. But he reaches out enough. To keep his hands around Lucy, who is wailing in his arms. Snarling around little fangs as she pushes against his face, nuzzling him. 

"That head injury could kill you, Stilinski." 

There are boots by his face. The man crouches down and picks up the knife Stiles used to kill the other man. He holds it up and Stiles tries to pull Lucy closer, to cover her. But he can barely move. He feels so helpless. 

The man takes the knife and drives it into what Stiles is pretty sure is a bullet wound in his shoulder. He screams. 

"This is nasty too. If you don't get both of them taken care of soon you'll probably die. She knows it. Look at her, she’s already mourning."

One last bit of magic surges through him and he throws out his hand, whispering words that shimmer in the air and the knock the man off his feet. His head hits the counter and he goes down, trying to stop himself, but he can't. 

"Stiles!" Scotts voice is such a nice relief. Especially since he's really fighting to keep his eyes open. "Buddy!" 

"Kitchen!" Stiles' dad shouts as Lucy lets out a high pitched howl. And fuck if that's not the saddest, cutest thing Stiles has ever heard. 

"I will kill you," the man says from the ground. 

Well if he has to die at least he got to hear Lucy do that little puppy howl. 

Scott roars and Stiles hears him coming to save Stiles, but there's blue smoke surrounding the man. It solidifies around him and then he's gone. 

Scott slides into the ground, pushes aside the body of the one man and tries to pull Lucy away from Stiles. There's more noise at the door, which must be the rest of the pack. 

She snarls and bites at him. 

"The hospital would be nice," Stiles says to Scott. "My dad—." 

"I'm okay," his dad says from somewhere. But he doesn't sound that okay. 

"Did you call Derek?" 

Scott nods. 

"Good. Now call an ambulance." 

"Got it!" Kira shouts. 

"I'll clear out the bodies," says Malia. 

"I'll help," Isaac groans. "You know it's stupid that we're always the ones carrying out the bodies. We didn't even get to hurt anyone." 

Stiles blinks away the blackness at his eyes, he focuses on Scott. He loves Scott. "How'd you get here so fast?" 

"You were on a date, Derek was worried about your dad and Lucy so we decided to get dinner in town." 

"He's such a dick," Stiles says but he laughs and it hurts. "I'm in a lot of pain, Scotty. So could you do me a favor and take some of it? Make sure Lucy doesn't accidentally take any. I'm probably going to pass out so just keep her safe, okay? Tell the hospital I'm her dad." 

"Okay," Scott says. 

There's a pleasant warm feeling in his head as Scott leeches the pain from his arms. The black spots at the corners of his eyes start to take over and Stiles lets himself fall into the darkness


	14. Freak The Geek Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek's POV
> 
> Derek actually probably handles this better than he handles everything

There's something stabbing into his chest and it wakes him up. His dreams have been nothing but smoke and screaming and Boyd's blood running down his arms. But this is what wakes him up. 

Derek rubs at his chest. It doesn't hurt much anymore, but he feels heavy, sad. Not just sad, but distraught. He hasn't felt anything like this in a long time. Not since before his family was killed. 

It takes him a minute to realize he's feeling his pack. More acutely he's feeling Lucy. Lucy who is _howling_.

He scrambles for his phone, dropping it off the side of the bed and having to dive after it. There are seventeen missed calls from Scott and only two messages. 

In the first message Scott’s voice is nervous, but collected. ”Something is wrong. Stiles just called. We're on our way over." 

In the second his voice is frantic, like he’s biting off growls before they can start, but he’s scared, Derek can feel it through the phone. "Stiles and Lucy and John were attacked. John and Lucy are okay. Stiles is…I don’t know. There was a lot of blood. Some of it probably isn’t even his. We’re on our way to the hospital now." 

Derek is up. He throws his things in his bag, doesn't bother to change out of his sweatpants, just pulls on a shirt. He probably leaves things, but it doesn't matter. He only packs because he knows that not doing it won't make him any faster. He doesn't even check out of the hotel. He runs onto the street, hails a cab, and shouts at the cabbie to go to the airport. And when the cabbie asks which one he says, "whichever is closest." 

There's a flight leaving in two hours, which is plenty of time to get through security with his one bag. Though a guard takes in his haggard state and says, "You okay there, son?" 

"My—," he stutters. He doesn’t know what to say. The whole situation is insane. So what he says is, “My husband with my daughter. He was hurt. I just found out. They’re in California.” 

He wants to shift. If he could run across the country as the wolf he would. 

But calling Stiles and Lucy his husband and daughter doesn’t feel like a lie. Not really. Because that’s what he wants. 

He might vomit. 

"I'm sorry to hear about that," the man says, putting a hand on Derek’s shoulder. "Try not to hyperventilate on your way to him, though. You don't want to hurt yourself before you see him." 

Derek nods and moves through the line. 

Right. He can’t hurt himself before he sees Stiles. 

He's never had a panic attack before. After his family died it was just prolonged numbness interspersed with a lot of anger and parties when he lived in New York. Most of the fuel for the books came out of those days. After Boyd and Erica it was numbness too. Numbness and listlessness. He pushed it down, didn't tell anyone he felt like he was useless and a poison to everyone around him. 

But this is different. He wants to pace and scream. Stiles is hurt and they were fighting and he's such an idiot. They were both such idiots. Derek is going to apologize the second he sees him and he's not going to stop until they die, preferably at 105 years old, in each other's arms like the end of the goddamn _Notebook_. 

(On top of a terrible taste in music, Erica also liked the worst movies.)

God that thought makes him put his head between his knees when he sits down in the rows of chairs by his gate. 

Eventually he pulls himself together enough to call Scott. 

He starts talking the second Scott answers, sounding tired and sad. "I'm getting on a flight in forty-five minutes. I won't be in until seven. So just tell Stiles that I'll be there, okay." 

"Stiles in in surgery," Scott says and Derek feels insane, like he can't grasp into his thoughts. 

"Why? For what? Tell me what happened. Scott.” 

“I—I don't know exactly.” His voice is hushed and his words are clipped, shaky. “He called me and when I came in with the pack there were two dead hunters and this dude threatening to kill Stiles. Stiles was on the ground and Lucy was howling and I was trying to talk to Stiles, but he passed out. And I didn't really get to talk to his dad because I was in the ambulance with Stiles and the sheriff went with Lucy and Isaac. And the sheriff had to get his leg set and x-rays and stuff." 

"And Lucy? Lucy's okay?” 

"She's a little freaked out, but she's fine. She keeps shifting so we're sitting in the room they're going to bring Stiles into. My mom called and pulled a few strings. Dude, I can't believe you weren't here for this." 

Derek wants to tell Scott that it’s the reason his claws are digging holes into the leg of his sweatpants. 

"Can I—I just need to see her." 

"Okay, okay," Scott says. He switches on the camera and shows Derek Lucy'a face. 

"Dadadadadadada," Lucy says, reaching towards the phone. 

Scott sounds a little in awe when he says, “Look how happy she is to see you." 

"She likes me." 

"She loves you, bro. You're her _dad_. Stiles too. He keeps calling it co-parenting. But you're just dumb dads." 

"I love her too," Derek says. "Right, Lucy? I love you.” He runs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath. “Fuck. I love you so much Lucy.” 

“Hey,” says Scott feebly. “No swearing.”  

"Laaaaaaaaaaaaa," Lucy says. Then, "Tatatatata." 

"She should be asleep.” Derek pulls at his hair again. "You could sing to her. She likes that." 

"I can do that," says Scott and god he’ll sing something stupid like Blink 182, that idiot. Derek will sing good music to her when he gets there. He’s going to pull Lucy and Stiles into his arms and never let them go. 

"I have to board soon, but tell Stiles when you can talk to him—." 

"You can tell him." 

"No. The second you can talk to him. I’ll probably be on my flight. Just tell him that I'm worried about him and that I love him and that I'm sorry." 

"You can tell him all these things in like six hours." 

"He needs to hear it when he wakes up." 

"Okay, Derek. I'll talk to you soon, okay?" 

"Okay." 

Derek hangs up and leans his head on the back of his chair. He lets out a sigh so loud that a woman down the row shushes him. 


	15. ANGST

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek probably runs as fast as a taxi? 
> 
> Non-sexual hair washing ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I wanted this to be like a goofy kid fic and it's gotten so angsty. I'm not even sorry at all.

Stiles wakes up in a recovery room. But if you ask him he’d tell you that he doesn’t remember anything except Scott gripping his hand and saying, "Derek is on his way. He told me to tell you he loves you guys and he'll be here by eight." 

But then he’s out again, pumped full of pain meds and too weird to do anything. He falls asleep back in his room, Lucy and his dad and Scott by his bed. When he wakes up again he’s in pain, but it’s less. Some of the magic feels like it's still working its way through him. Lucy is whining in his dad’s arms, Scott is dozing in his chair. 

Stiles tries to say hi, but it comes out as a groan and Scott immediately perks up. 

“Hey, son,” his dad looks okay. He’s got some bruises on his neck that Stiles would rather not think about and he looks a little like he hasn’t slept, but so does Lucy and Scott and they’re werewolves.

“Hey,” says Stiles. “What time is it?” 

“Almost nine,” says Scott, which feels significant, but Stiles doesn’t really know why. 

“You guys—are you guys okay?” 

His dad nods. “Yeah. We’re okay. That was—well we’ll talk about it tomorrow maybe. Today you just need to rest.” 

Lucy makes this totally inhuman shrieking noise and flops around his in dad’s arms like a fish. 

“She’s worried about you,” Scott says. 

Stiles shakes his head. “No. I’m pretty sure she’s just really hungry. You guys should go eat. Just let me pull my brain together.” 

His dad nods because what else is he going to do. He leans over and kisses Stiles on the head. “You want anything?”

“If they have curly fries I want those and get a salad and make sure Lucy gets protein.” 

“Got it,” says his dad like he’s _not_ going to eat a salad. 

Scott lingers for a moment and then he leans over and kisses Stiles on the head too before hurrying out after John and Lucy. 

Stiles giggles in spite of himself and realizes that he has to pee. Really badly. He swings his legs over the side of the bed as Derek bursts into the room. 

"Get back in the bed," Derek growls.

He looks a mess, tired and pale. His sweatpants are ripped and dirty, his hair is actually still pretty sexy but it's a mess. He’s got his backpack on and his duffle in one hand. 

"Derek," Stiles says. "Did you fucking run here from New York?" 

"From the airport," he says, dropping his bag on the floor. “We got in later than I thought and I couldn’t wait so I ran. It probably wasn’t faster.” 

Stiles wants to laugh. He should probably laugh. But he just says, “Oh.” 

And then he's just there, in front of Stiles, gathering him up in his arms. Stiles wraps his arms around him too because he can't help it. He can't help the way he sags against Derek or the tears that threaten to spill over. Derek buries his face in his neck and breathes in deeply. 

"I'm so sorry, Stiles," he whispers. " _Fuck_ , I'm so sorry." 

"Me too, Derek." Stiles definitely does not choke on a sob. "I'm really sorry." 

Stiles is a little surprised to find that he doesn't need to say anything else and he doesn't need to hear anything else from Derek. They forgive each other. They're together. They're safe. Lucy is safe. It's all that matters. And that's weird. 

Also pretty scary. Because it feels like family and if Stiles loses all this—when he loses all of it really—it's going to hurt so much. 

"I really have to pee," Stiles says after a little bit. It's the truth but he also wants to break the tension. 

Derek nods, pulling away from him, his hands lingering on his arms. "Do you need help?" He looks a little lost. Like he doesn't actually know how to help someone who can't heal with supernatural speed. 

"I'm good." Stiles gives him a smile and heads into the bathroom. "Have you seen Lucy yet?" He asks through the door. 

"No," says Derek. "Scott—he made it sound like—I know she's okay. I needed to see you first." 

Stiles looks down at his shaking hands. And his dick, but that's less of an issue. His knuckles are cracked and bruised even though he doesn't remember hitting anyone. It must've happened when he fell. 

"Where is she?" Derek asks. "It's hard to catch a scent in here. Or hear anything." 

"She's down in the cafeteria with Scott and my dad." 

"Your dad's okay?" 

"Yeah. Cuts and bruises mostly. He got knocked out, but he's fine. Just a bump." 

"That's—that's lucky." 

"Yeah." Stiles flushes the toilet and washes his hands. He opens the door and Derek is standing right there. 

He hugs him again because he thinks of his dad lying on the floor with the man's boot on his neck. 

"You need to lie down," Derek says, staying attached to him, but herding him towards the bed. "Did Scott take your pain?" 

Stiles lets Derek help him up onto the mattress. "Yeah. Not a lot. With all the other pain meds and stuff I didn't want to feel to fuzzy. I was kind of a mess right after the surgery." 

"Why—?" 

"I got shot and then this dick pushed the bullet deeper into my shoulder with a knife. And I hit my head pretty hard so they needed to get the swelling down. But it didn't take long. I think some of the spark stuff helps speed things along minutely. You know, using magic and all that." 

Derek sits on the edge of the bed and puts his hand on Stiles' arm. "I should have been there." 

Stiles shakes his head. "This isn't your fault." 

Derek stretches his hand down Stiles' arm until he meets his wrist. Something hammers against Stiles' chest. Derek looks up at him and swallows. 

"You _saved_ her, Stiles. You protected her." 

Stiles doesn't shrug because it hurts too much. "Derek, I _love_ her." 

Derek's fingers wrap lightly around his wrist. "I know. It's just—it's—you—."

The door opens again and Scott and Stiles' dad come in. Lucy is in John's arms and she shrieks when she sees Derek. Derek pulls away from Stiles and walks over to her. He pulls her into his arms and kisses her on the cheek. She hits him in the face a few times before giving him a slobbery kiss. 

Stiles wishes he was unconscious for this reunion. It's too cute. It makes his chest too tight. His dad is smiling at Derek and Lucy despite his bruises and Scott gives Stiles this look like he knows. 

Derek gives John and Scott very sincere thanks and then settles into the chair by Stiles' bed with Lucy in his arms. She keeps his arms around his neck, her head against his shoulder. God. It's so fucking cute. 

"We should get her a leather jacket," Stiles says. "How cute would that be? I'm pretty sure North West has a leather jacket. And a fur coat. We should get one of those too." 

"It's June," Derek says, but he says it as he presses a kiss to Lucy's cheek again and there's a fond smile on his lips. 

—

Derek stays in the hospital with Stiles until he's discharged that afternoon, even though he's tired and gross and hungry. He just stays in the chair by Stiles' bed with Lucy in his arms.

Scott drives Stiles' dad back to Beacon Hills and Derek, Stiles, and Lucy take a cab back to Stiles' place. 

They stop in the doorway. Stiles didn't really get a good look at it last night but everything in his living room is destroyed. There is blood and glass everywhere, he totally forgot about the broken windows. But it's not just that. It's his TV and his couch and his laptop. One of his bookcases is tipped over and there are books all over the floor. 

Derek makes this distressed noise next to him. 

"Maybe we should book a room at a hotel," Stiles says. "I can't—I can't even wrap my head around this right now. Derek we have so much to do. We have to figure out who did this and hunt them down. I have to get my windows fixed and a new couch. And what if it rains? All my _stuff_." 

Derek nods. "Let's go to a hotel." 

After grabbing what they need they end up at a motel down the street because they're too tired to drive any further. But it's not horrible. It has a little kitchen and a crib for Lucy. They booked a room with one bed because there's no point in pretending like they aren't going to cuddle the second they get the chance. 

Stiles manages to feed Lucy while Derek showers. His arm is sore but his other one is fine. And Lucy doesn't move around much. She's tired too. When Derek is done he gives Lucy a bath in the kitchen sink and Stiles heads into the bathroom. Stiles gets into the tub and tries to sponge himself down without getting water on the bandages around his shoulder. He has a plastic bag wrapped around them, but it doesn't seem to be doing much. The bandages still get wet and Stiles can barely move and everything huts. 

It's all too overwhelming. He can't even  _think_ when he's this hurt. He can't think when Derek and Lucy are involved. If he hadn't spent the whole time with Lucy in his arms he would have been more observant, would have listened better. As it was he was too scared. Too scared because too many people he loves were in danger and Derek wasn't there to help him. 

Tears sting at his eyes and he lets his head fall back on the edge of the tub. 

There's a light knock at the door. "Stiles, are you okay?" 

"Yeah," Stiles croaks. "I'm fine." 

The door cracks open. "I can smell—you're in pain." 

Derek pokes his head in and they live together. They've seen each other naked accidentally a bunch of times. And Derek is a werewolf who just sometimes doesn't care. But Stiles feels self-conscious now as Derek walks into the bathroom. 

"I'm having trouble washing my hair," Stiles says. 

Derek's eyes flick over Stiles' body. By the tightening of jaw Stiles can tell that he's not only taking in the new cuts and bruises, but the old scars as well. 

"I'll put Lucy in her crib and then I'll come help you." 

Stiles nods. 

He listens as Derek gets Lucy ready for bed. He sings to her softly, but she's already asleep, exhausted from the last twenty-four hours. 

Derek comes into the bathroom and sits on the toilet that is conveniently by the end of the tub. He takes the little motel shampoo and conditioner from Stiles and grabs a cup to dump water over his hair. 

They're silent. It feels so fucking good to have Derek washing his hair that Stiles can't even talk, which is really okay. Because the words sitting on the edge of his tongue are, "I've thought about taking a bath with you a lot." It's better that he doesn't say that. 

Derek finishes his hair and dries it with a towel. He helps Stiles stand up and somehow it's totally okay that he's naked. Derek just helps wrap him in a towel and goes into the room. 

"Do you want to get food?" Derek asks, picking up his phone. 

Stiles pulls on boxers. "Dude. You must be exhausted." 

"I'm okay." 

"Let's just go to sleep. We can order breakfast and start figuring this out in the morning." 

Derek nods. He pulls the covers back and gets into the bed and Stiles follows. 

"Whats the best way for you to sleep?" Derek asks. "With your arm." 

"I don't know. Maybe let me be the big spoon?" 

"Okay." 

Stiles wraps his hurt arm around Derek. Without saying anything, Derek takes his hand, black lines leaking down his arms as he takes Stiles' pain. 

"Thanks." 

"Anytime, Stiles." He doesn’t let go. 

"We'll figure this out tomorrow." 

"And I'll call someone about repairing your window." 

Stiles nods and hooks his chin over Derek’s shoulder. He stays like that, his thumb moving over Derek’s. 


	16. Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles just isn't at the top of his game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grad school schmad school. Who need grad school when you've got fan fiction?

In Stiles' nightmare the man is twisting the knife into his shoulder. Lucy is screaming. And Derek is dead. Lying on the kitchen floor, a knife in his neck. 

The man smiles. "The last semi-functioning Hale." 

Stiles' body lurches awake. He's shouting and Lucy really _is_ crying and Derek is leaning over him, hands on his face, eyes wide. 

"Derek." He reaches out and pulls him into a hug. "I'm sorry." 

"No, no," Derek says, his voice sweet like it always is in the dark. "You have nothing to be sorry for." 

"I—." _I killed you_. "I woke up Lucy." 

"It's okay. You had a nightmare. She's okay." 

Stiles nods. "You should—you should calm her down." 

Derek pulls away. He walks over to the crib and all he has to do is lean over and kiss Lucy's head and she stops crying. 

"Do you use werewolf mojo to do that?" Stiles asks. 

Derek snorts and gets back into bed. "Mojo is definitely a Dean Winchester word." 

"What can I say? I think some of it counts as research." 

Derek rolls over to face Stiles. "I don't believe that at all. And I think that it's more that she recognizes me as her alpha." 

"Maybe as her dad too," Stiles says, eyes searching Derek's face. 

Derek nods, wets his lips with his tongue. "I bet you could do it too." 

"I don’t—,” Stiles stops because he doesn’t know how he feels about that. Because it’s what he wants, but when does he really ever get what he wants. The prime example of that is lying in bed with him. “I think her parents—maybe her whole pack too—are dead. The hunter didn't care about who died. He just wanted her and he didn't want her hurt. It has something to do with you. With the Hales, I think." 

"We'll figure it out in the morning," Derek says. He still looks concerned. He's bleeding concerned. But he just pulls Stiles close, puts a hand on the back of his neck and buries his face in his chest. "Just go to sleep. You really need to sleep." 

Derek is pulling the pain from him and it always makes Stiles a little sleepy when he takes so much. 

He wraps his arm around Derek because for some reason platonic co-parenting and cuddling allows for that. He tries not to think about it too much as he drifts back off to sleep.

—

Derek comes back with a high chair for the end of the table, but Stiles is really content to have Lucy on his lap, even if she bangs her head back against his shoulder a little too much. Derek keeps reaching over and taking little bits of pain. 

"You okay?" Derek asks before the pack gets there.

Stiles nods and kisses Lucy on the head. "I'm good." 

The pack, including Stiles’ dad (and not including Mason or Liam or Lydia who all have their own things to do) come into the diner that’s halfway between Stiles’ apartment and Beacon Hills. They all sit around the big table and talk over each other and order too much food and pass Lucy around before she settles in John's lap. He feeds her apple sauce and Cheerios and Derek whispers a promise of steak later, but she can't wolf out in the middle of the restaurant. 

Stiles goes over what happened with the hunters and as he speaks, Derek's hand settles on his knee. A comfort Stiles didn't know he needed. 

"The hunter said there was a reason she got left with Derek," says Stiles. He's barely touched his food and everyone else is done. For some reason a burger and curly fries just aren't feeling appetizing. 

"But he didn't say why?" Isaac asks in that bored way he has. 

"I spoke to Chris," says Stiles' dad, bouncing Lucy on his knee. "I described the hunter, but he didn't know him. Doesn't know any hunters that are working with magic. I also did some research on Leonardo, who doesn't seem to exist, Stiles. Next time you go on a date we're running his prints." 

Stiles' hand finds Derek's under the table. "Yeah, well, I think dating isn't really in the cards for me for a while." 

Stiles doesn't look at Derek. He makes a point of looking at his dad and Lucy, but not at Derek. 

Malia snorts and Scott punches her shoulder. Kira pats her arm lightly. 

"I think," Derek says, sounding unsure and scared and his hand turns to lace his fingers through Stiles' fingers. "I think that Lucy should go back to Beacon Hills with you." 

Stiles squeezes his hand, which probably doesn’t convey how angry he is. "What? No! We didn't talk about this. Does that make sense. Shouldn't we keep her close?" 

"I think we need to go back to your apartment and learn what we can," Derek says. "And clean. Lucy can't stay there. It's too exposed. There isn't even a window. Didn't your ward your dad's house, Stiles? And the whole pack can be on alert to protect her. And we can do research here or go wherever we need to." 

"We could all go to Beacon Hills," Scott says. Lucy is silent, staring at Derek and Stiles, her mouth open and eyes big. 

“You didn’t talk to me about this,” Stiles says to Derek. And it’s kind of annoying because he thought they were past this. At least he’s bringing it up to the group, but he could’ve brought it up to Stiles maybe that morning when they were in a fucking bed together. 

“I know,” Derek says, his thumb moves over Stiles’ thumb. 

God and it's hard to be mad at him when he's like this. It's hard to be mad at him in general unless he's actively being an idiot. It's not hard to be a little annoyed though. His base level with Derek is like 40% "oh god he's hot," maybe 40% "dear baby Jesus he's adorable," and the rest is, "just stop." 

Stiles runs his hand through his hair. Maybe he's more annoyed that he's not coming up with any solutions himself. He's too tired and sore and already feeling this emptiness in his chest about Lucy just being with his dad. 

"Yeah," Stiles says. "I guess sending her with you guys makes the most sense. We'll just focus on finding out who that hunter was and what the deal is with Leonardo. We'll try to get it done in the next couple of days." 

Derek looks down at the table, at his food that’s also untouched. “It’s okay if you want to do something else.” 

Stiles shakes his head, looks at Lucy who’s all big eyes and her hair is sticking up somehow. “I don’t. You’re right.” 

“Okay.” 

—

Out at the car Derek already has the bag for Lucy ready to go. And really they’re coming from the motel so it’s not so it’s not that crazy, but it just seems so easy to let Lucy go. Stiles kisses Lucy so much that she starts to get annoyed and demands Derek take her, which is a mistake because Derek puts her in the carseat in the back of John’s car. 

Lucy starts to scream when she realizes she’s nothing with them. Her little claws dig into the car seat, ripping foam out of the sides. Her fangs drop and she snarls at Derek, who kneels down in front of her. It’s actually pretty adorable, but also Stiles wants to cry. 

From the side Stiles sees Derek’s eyes flash red and Lucy calms down. “It’s okay, Lucy. You’re just going to stay with John—.” 

“Grandpa,” John corrects and Stiles can’t help laughing. 

“You’re staying with Grandpa,” Derek says and he has this like happy stupid smile on his face when he says it. “Just for a couple of days. Then you’ll come back and everything will be settled okay?” 

She doesn’t say anything because she’s a baby. But she sniffles a little. Derek kisses her on the forehead and walks back to Stiles, who is only wiping at his eyes because of allergies or whatever. 

“I expect a picture update every day,” Stiles shouts at his dad as Derek drags him back to the car. “And phone calls. Constantly!” 

His dad just shakes his head at him. “I’ve got it, kiddo.” 

Even though both Derek and Stiles trust the pack with Lucy, they still sit in the car and wait for them to drive away.


	17. Platonic Husbands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's getting a little less platonic though

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapter updates within an hour? It must be love.

"Are you upset with me?" Derek asks in the car. 

Stiles shakes his head. "No. I'm just going to miss her." 

"It's only a couple of days." 

"Dude. You look like you’re going to cry too." 

"I'm not denying it." Derek scratches his beard. "Are you sure you're not angry? I should have talked to you. I didn't really—it kind of just occurred to me." 

"I'm fine. I just feel like I'm not at the top of my game." 

"The last few days have been…difficult." 

Stiles snorts. "I know. I feel like we've been through crazier stuff." 

"I don't think you've ever been hurt so badly." Derek's hand tightens on the wheel. "I want to kill that hunter. I want him to regret ever hurting my—you." 

"Your _me_?" 

Derek's mouth opens and closes a few times and Stiles' bad mood almost entirely dissipates watching it happen. But he's saved by his phone ringing. 

He answers it and the woman on the phone starts screaming so loudly even Stiles can hear her with his puny human senses. 

"Hale! I've called you at least forty times! What the fuck is wrong with you? You skipped your meeting yesterday. You're supposed to be at a signing today! What the fuck? Did you forget?"

"No. I know I was supposed to be in a meeting yesterday. There was an emergency." 

"Then you should have picked up the phone and called yesterday! And what the fuck is more important than securing your contract for your last two books and for your next publication, Derek? What the hell is more important than this deal?" 

"My family." 

Stiles is trying not to have a fit. He wants to meet this woman who can just shout at Derek Hale. And he wants to melt at hearing Derek call him his family. 

"Your family? What happened, Derek?" 

Derek pauses. He looks over at Stiles. "My husband and my daughter were hurt." 

Stiles chokes and Derek slaps him on the back which really hurts more than helps and he can tell by the widening of Derek's eyes that Derek forgot about his shoulder. 

The woman says something, but it's hushed now and Stiles is too busy holding back tears to really listen. Tears that are really only partially pain. Mostly about Derek calling him his _husband_. 

"It's complicated," Derek says. "They're okay. I'll be—obviously I won't be able to talk for a few days." At the stoplight, Derek puts his hand on Stiles' arm and takes his pain. "For now I can only do meetings over the phone." 

"What!" She sounds a little like Lydia and Stiles hasn't talked to her in weeks and she's going to come for Christmas but that's in forever and he feels like they could really use her. "No, Derek!" 

"I'm not leaving them." 

She says something else and Derek seems satisfied by it enough that he just grunts a goodbye and hangs up. 

"Husband?" Stiles blurts. 

"It's easier than saying my friend that I'm raising a baby I found with. And as far as Lucy goes she's basically my daughter. You're right. Her family is probably dead and she recognizes me as her alpha now." 

"And you love her." 

"I do." Derek shrugs. "I want to raise her." 

"She's going to have to go to school and stuff. And even if we home school her we have to do stuff for her. And like does she even have a birth certificate? Oh my god why aren't we looking for a birth certificate?" 

"Because we don't know where she was born." 

"Dude. Towns announce births in the paper! We're such idiots. Oh my god. I mean it'll be tedious, but not impossible to find her birth announcement and then find the town. We might be able to find out about her parents too." 

Derek nods. "Okay." 

—

When they get back to Stiles’ destroyed apartment Derek dumps the bag of clothes from when Stiles got taken into the hospital onto what’s left of the couch. Presumably to look for clues or scents or whatever.

"You ruined my favorite sweater." He pauses, cocks his head to the side. "You were _wearing_ my sweater?" 

"It was cold." 

"It's June." 

"Yeah well it was still cold and—." 

"It was cold?" 

"Yeah. It—." 

"It was eighty degrees Stiles." 

"It definitely was not. It was like sixty. I was— _oh_ —wait. That's probably a clue. Probably related to the icy blue guy. And also now that I'm thinking about it Leonardo was also cold when he touched me at yoga." 

There's a crack as Derek snaps a board from the already broken coffee table in half. "Sorry. I—we gotta break this down so we can get rid of it the right way." 

"Right. So was Leonardo the blue guy? God. I just thought—he seemed kind of dumb, you know." 

"I bet." Derek shakes his head. "We'll figure it out. The cold thing helps narrow it down."

"Jesus." Stiles sinks into one of two not broken chairs. He runs a hand through his hair and then he remembers he has a pretty sizable bruise on his forehead. "I can't believe I missed two such obvious things." 

"What was the first?" 

"Lucy's birth certificate." 

"Right. It's not your fault, Stiles. We haven't been trying all the hard." 

Stiles looks up at Derek, who looks kind of defeated. “No. But I’m having a hard time thinking about anything except for you and Lucy." 

"I know. It’s the same. Except you know, I’m not focused on me.” 

“I’m sorry." 

"Stiles, I really understand." 

"I know you do." 

Derek looks between him and then pile of ruined clothes on the ruined sofa. He groans. "It has _thumb holes_ Stiles. I loved that sweater." 

"It was really cozy. I'm sorry, dude. I'll buy you a new one." 

"It was four hundred dollars." 

"You spent four hundred dollars on a _sweater_?" 

Derek shrugs. "It's a great fucking sweater." 

—

They clean until Stiles is too tired and in too much pain to do anything else. But the windows will be fixed in two days and they cover them with trash bags until then. The door is back on its hinges. The glass and the blood are gone. Everything broken is out in the street.

Stiles sits down on the bed with Derek's laptop between his legs and Derek is writing by hand in a Moleskine. It's almost annoyingly domestic. Except that Stiles is doing research on Lucy and who could have been trying to kill them. 

"Thank god for the cloud," Stiles says, going through birth announcements from last November. "Do you write everything by hand? What are you writing?" 

"No and my book." 

"Yeah but like what's going on?" 

"I'm writing a sex scene." 

"Really? With Henry and Declan?" 

"No with Declan and someone else."

"Wait. Do they break up? Also one of the guys who attacked us loves your books. And he knew it was you. Your publisher posted a picture of you on Instagram." 

"Great. That's probably why they decided to attack. They knew I was gone." 

"No. I think they planned on you being there and me being out with Leonardo. Anyway. You're down one fan." 

"I'm going to lose a whole ten cents from that sale." 

Stiles chuckles. "Is it really a sex scene with not Henry?" 

"I'm not telling you." 

"Please, Derek. I'm your _husband_." 

"That was a mistake." 

"Dude. I'm an emotional mess right now. Give me a win." 

"It's Declan and Henry." 

Stiles groan. "Good. I want to know so much. But I'll refrain from asking." 

"Thanks." 

"But where are they fucking. Is it in one of their offices? Because I want that scene. Oh man is it in Henry's car? I really like that Declan walks everywhere. Also how do you know Boston so well?" 

"After Laura and I were in New York we went to Boston for a little bit. Not long, but I've been back a few times to do research." 

"Do you like it?" 

"I do." 

"Lydia is in Boston." 

"You still in love with Lydia?" 

Stiles laughs. "I don't think I've been in love with Lydia since junior year of high school. But like if you like Boston, I don't know. We've got a friend base." 

"You're in a program here." 

"Only for two more years and they're all. I'm going to have to apply for jobs after that." 

"Let's talk about it in two years." 

Stiles closes the laptop and lays back in bed. "You should tell me a good Hale family story. I like good Hale family stories." 

In the last few months Stiles has learned more about Derek than he ever did in the years they kept Beacon Hills safe from supernatural creatures. At first he told Stiles all about Laura after the fire. And then he started telling stories from before the fire and those stories are the best. The Hale family seems like they were just an insane bunch with too many of them to control and Peter just stirring shit up. 

They skip over Paige stories most of the time. Derek never really talks about being sixteen. 

So Derek tells Stiles about this one time when he was eight and Laura was eleven and they were all in a puppy pile in the front yard. And their dad was making them laugh about something and in the middle of it Laura just shot up and yelled, "I have to go," before shifting and taking off into the woods. 

"We thought something was really wrong and my dad is human, you know, so he couldn't smell anything. And then Peter was like, 'She peed her pants a little.'" Derek is curled against Stiles now, his body convulsing with laughter. "She just laughed so hard she peed and was too embarrassed to face any of us. And she just came back like fully shifted into the wolf and left her clothes in the woods. If Peter hadn't told us we wouldn't have known, but even my dad made fun of her." 

"One time I made Scott laugh so much he had an asthma attack and then threw up," Stiles says. "He did it right in my mom's sneakers because he couldn't make it to the toilet and she was so mad. But mostly at me." 

Then they just get into stories about their moms until Stiles is yawning and his eyes are closing against his will and Derek's stories start missing parts because he's falling asleep. 

—

Stiles wakes up wrapped around Derek like he always is now, his hurt shoulder exposed to the air, healing faster than makes sense. He thinks it's a combination of using magic and Derek draining his pain. 

The only difference between right now and every other night is that Stiles is fucking hard and his dick is up against Derek’s ass and Derek is still asleep. Stiles is in this weird place where he's not totally awake yet so he can't move away. And he's worried that once he gets the mental power to actually get out of bed Derek will know. 

And then Derek's breathing changes. He shifts. 

They both freeze. 

"Sorry," Stiles mumbles when Derek makes a noise he doesn't really understand and can't even try to decipher. "I'm just pent up. I'm sorry." 

He tries to move and Derek's hand shoots out. His fingers close around Stiles' wrist. "Wait."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I've said thank you for all the comments and kudos, but thank you! Thank you sooooooooo much! I really appreciate all of them and love them and love you. So much love. So very much love.


	18. This Is Just A Sex Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh look it's suddenly explicit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why not post this tonight? I already wrote it like a month ago.

Stiles stutters. "Der—." 

Derek's voice is heavy with sleep and still unsure, even with his hand wrapped around Stiles’ wrist. "You don't—I—." 

Stiles eases back against him. "Tell me, Derek. You have to tell me what you want." 

"I want it. I _want_ you." Derek sounds like he's searching for the words and maybe it's not fair at four in the morning or whatever time it is, but Stiles _needs_ to know. He's not going to be added to the list of people who have fucked Derek over. "I want to _feel_ you, Stiles." 

Stiles rolls his hips and Derek closes his eyes on a gasp. "Yeah," Derek says. "Just like that." 

Stiles presses his nose closer to Derek's neck, breathes in deep. God. He smells so fucking good. Like himself. Like sweat and ash and animal. Like familiarity and home and family.

Derek lets out a grunt, takes Stiles’ hand and pushes it into the waistband of his sweatpants. Stiles strokes his thumb through the hair below Derek's belly button and Derek sighs. He leans his head back against Stiles' shoulder. Stiles’ hand travels lower to the base of Derek’s cock. He groans as he moves his hand down. Derek’s as hard as he is, pre-come already leaking from the tip as Stiles pumps his hand down once and back again. 

"Fuck, Derek, I want you." Stiles’ voice sounds foreign to him, raspy and needy and more aggressive than he ever imagined. 

Derek turns his head and kisses the side of Stiles’ chin because it’s what he can reach. He pants against him, mouth open and hot. His hand joins Stiles’ on his cock. 

Everything seems to fast and too hot and Stiles doesn’t even care. He just wants this. Wants all of Derek quickly and forever. Maybe they’ll do slow later, when they have time to do some tender lovemaking with lots of eye contact. Derek probably wants to fuck missionary, holding hands and swallowing each other’s moans. Stiles wants that too, but Derek wrote that beautiful sex scene. He’s a secret sappy romantic and Stiles wants that too. 

"I wanted you for so long," Stiles says, pushing down Derek's sweatpants along with his own boxers. They kick them to the end of the bed and Derek is hot and warm and he fucking whines when Stiles thrusts against him. "Wanted you since I was fucking sixteen. I thought— _fuck_ —thought you didn't want me." 

"I wanted you," Derek says, voice rasping. Their hands, fingers laced together still, work over Derek's rigid cock. "But I didn't—I didn't want to be like her." 

Stiles know what he means. Wants to tell him he's grateful for it. But he doesn't know how to say it. Because part of him wishes they had always been together. And another part of him of him is grateful it took this long. Somehow this feels perfect. Things might be a mess but they’ve had each other and they’ve had Lucy and now they have this. 

"You're so much better than her," Stiles says, licking over Derek's neck. 

He pulls his hand off Derek’s cock and brings it up to his mouth and licks it. He works his own dick a couple of time, spreading spit and pre-come down and it feels so dirty, but he doesn’t care. He pushes Derek up a little, pulls Derek's leg back over his own and pushes his dick between Derek's thighs.

“ _Christ_ ,” Stiles hisses. 

It’s a little dry, but tight and so good and Derek is whimpering. Stiles thrusts between Derek's thighs and Derek pushes back against him. Stiles has a hard time keeping it coordinated and he doesn’t know if he cares enough to go slow and Derek is making these encouraging noises. 

"You should bite me," Derek says and Stiles lets out a too-loud moan that he'll probably be embarrassed about later. 

He starts with nips to Derek's back and shoulders. Derek whines and bares his neck and Stiles is just there, biting down until he's worried that he's going to break the skin and Derek is coming with a bitten off shout all over Stiles' hand. 

Derek turns and kisses the shit out of Stiles. There isn’t an exploratory first kiss. It's just all teeth and tongues and Derek biting at Stiles' lips. He pushes him onto his back, avoiding his hurt shoulder and jacks his dick hard and sloppy, using his own come to slick his way and Stiles can barely function. He can't think. It's just so dirty. Derek's not even soft yet and Stiles can feel him against his thigh, all wet and hot. 

"Come on, Stiles," Derek says against Stiles' cheek, like he can't even make it to his ear to whisper these filthy things. "I wanna feel it. I wanna smell like you. Just come on me. Come on. I wanna taste you." 

Stiles groans and kisses Derek again, hips jerking. He digs his fingers into Derek's shoulder. "Derek." 

"Can't wait to taste you," Derek growls a little like he's angry that Stiles hasn't come yet. And then he just does this thing with his thumb and Stiles can't even warn him. He just shoots off all over Derek's hand and chest and Derek sighs. 

Stiles runs a hand through Derek's hair. "You like that, huh?" 

Derek nods, rubbing Stiles' come into his chest. He licks the rest off his fingers and Stiles kind of wishes he could come again to that image. 

Stiles pulls him down and kisses the taste of himself off Derek's tongue. "Is it a werewolf thing? I mean not that people don't like it without werewolf stuff. But is it the scent thing?" 

Derek nods again, he looks down and blushes, which is stupid because he's fucking covered in jizz. "I'm yours." 

Stiles kisses him again. “We should probably talk about this tomorrow, but I’m yours too." 

The grin on Derek’s face is so nice that Stiles could probably die in it. 


	19. But Everything Was Coming Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ew gross, what dorks.

Stiles sits at the bar in just his boxers while Derek makes eggs and potatoes and bacon. Stiles isn’t sure where or when he got the groceries, but he’s not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He’s doing some more research on Derek’s laptop and he thinks he’s getting closer to Lucy’s origins, but it’s tedious. 

“Are we dating now?” Stiles asks because focusing on one thing at a time is for amateurs and really Stiles is having a lot of feelings about Derek only wearing his black briefs and making breakfast. He has an apron fantasy he wants to test out. “Should we talk about this.” 

Derek’s shoulders tense. “I—yes? We’re dating. Are we?" 

Stiles doesn't look at Derek when he speaks. "I'm okay with that. Because, like, I like you and probably more than like you and I'm kind of really into the idea that we're a family and it was pretty great when you called me your husband. I mean we've known each other for a really long time and everything so it's not that crazy that we would like get this serious this fast and—." 

Derek turns, the eggy spatula in his hand. "Stiles. Are we getting engaged right now?" 

Stiles shrugs. "I mean, we _could_ be?" 

Derek blushes again and it's a beautiful thing. Stiles wishes that he was a photographer so he could capture it and frame it without it being weird. 

"Okay," Derek says. 

"It's not that crazy right," Stiles goes on. "Like we know we live well together. We argue but we work, you know. And I'm pretty fucking attracted to you and we basically just dry humped and it was still the best sex I've ever had and like also I love you or whatever." 

Then Derek is in front of him, probably having used super human speed to move four feet. He kisses Stiles hard. The tips of his ears are red and his fingers are shaking a little as they wrap around Stiles' sides. "I love you too. I wasn't lying when I said that I'm yours." 

"Cool." 

Derek just pulls away and shakes his head. He snorts. "Cool. Jesus Christ Stiles. We just got engaged and that's all you can say?" 

"Shut up, your goddamn eggs are burning." 

—

Later that afternoon, after a getting engaged blow job and shower and then another shower and then finally getting dressed, Stiles finally stumbles upon a tiny birth announcement from small town a couple of hours north of Beacon Hills from November with the name Lucy Hale. There’s no photograph to go along with it, but Hale. 

“So is there any chance you have family you don’t know?” Stiles asks Derek, who is sitting on the couch next to him, staring at his computer. 

Derek shrugs. “My mom is from a big family, but pretty much everyone died.” 

“Because Lucy might be a Hale. Isn’t Lucy Hale that girl from _Pretty Little Liars_?” 

“I wouldn’t know,” Derek says in a way that makes Stiles think that he _absolutely_ knows. But they’ll get back to that. “Is she a Hale? Maybe—I don’t know. I can’t imagine that no one would have reached out after the fire. But Cora was alive that whole time and we didn’t know. Maybe one of the cousins survived.” 

“Was one of them named Mark?” Stiles asks. 

Derek tenses. “Yeah. He was—he was eleven.” 

Stiles shudders, thinking of Kate killing all those kids. “And he could very reasonably have gotten married and had a baby since then.” 

“Yeah.” 

“And we haven’t really thought about her dad and maybe she got left with you because you’re family and they knew that you’d take care of her.” 

“But why wouldn’t they find me before this?” Derek shuts his laptop. “Do you—maybe they didn’t want—I mean—I know that it wasn’t— _Jesus_.” 

“It might’ve been hard for him, you know.” Stiles just wants to curl around Derek. “What should we do next? Should we figure out if Mark is still alive?” 

“Do you think he is?” 

“No. He probably isn’t. Maybe we should check out Leonardo. Stop by the studio and see where he lives." 

Derek nods. He leans over like he’s going to kiss Stiles and Stiles is all about that. All the kisses. 

But they’re interrupted by Stiles’ phone ringing. And he should have known. He’s talked to his dad about six times already without mentioning that maybe he and Derek are going to get married at some point. And he’s still not even totally sure. 

“Stiles,” his dad says and he _knows_ something is wrong. Derek tenses up. He stands, ready to do something, probably ready to kill someone. 

“Dad.” Stiles’ voice cracks. 

“Lucy—,” his dad starts and Derek is already pulling on shoes and his jacket and heading towards the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The problem with not planning this thing out is that I really just realized that Lucy Hale is that girl from Pretty Little Liars and I'm not changing it.


	20. And You Thought The Last Chapter Ended On A Cliffhanger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles does a whole lot of magic.

“Derek!” Stiles shouts. Derek freezes with his hand on the door. “Just— _fuck_ —stay still. Dad, what happened?”

“I went put her down and went in to check on her and she was gone. But the window was open. It just happened, Stiles, Chris was here. They took off in a car, but Chris went after them. He’s tracking them down the pack is out there. I’m in my cruiser.” 

“Okay. We’re coming.” Stiles starts pulling on his shoes and Derek heads out into the hall. “Should I—should I—I’ll let you go. I’ll call you when we get close.” 

—

Stiles speeds and he thinks that maybe there’s some kind magic keeping him from getting pulled over. It’s also some kind of magic that they make it to Beacon Hills in under an hour when it’s usually a two hour drive. 

“Where are you?” Stiles asks when his dad answers the phone. 

“Warehouse,” his dad says, he sounds out of breath. “The old lumber factory. They’re holed up inside and I don’t know what they want, Stiles, but they’re fighting hard. They aren’t letting her go.” 

“Okay,” Stiles says. “We’ll be there.” 

—

Outside the warehouse looks like a battlefield. There are a line of police cars and vans. And police aren’t shooting from behind their cars, probably because Lucy is inside, but they’re being shot at. The pack is shifted, running the perimeter, dodging bullets as they go. 

Stiles and Derek barely bother to stop the jeep before they’re out. Stiles finds his dad as Derek finds the pack. 

“We’re not doing so well,” his dad says. “We need an advantage and we can’t get in.” 

And then the bullets stop. 

“Hale.” The voice sounds like it’s coming from everywhere, but Stiles can see the hunter that drove the knife into his shoulder standing in a shattered window. The blue smoke is all around him, amplifying his voice. “You finally decided to show up.” 

Derek snarls and Stiles scans the building. He’s been too emotional lately, missing things he should’ve seen. So he takes in as much as he can. 

“You call this all off, let us kill you and your mate, and the child lives,” the man says. “It’s that simple.” 

“You wouldn’t kill her,” Derek says. 

“I don’t want to. But I could and if you and your mate don’t die then I also kill everyone else. I know that you wouldn’t like that.” 

“You know that’s not going to happen,” Stiles shouts, still searching for something. “You know we’re not going to give in. And I know you aren’t going to hurt her.” 

“I can hurt her right now if you’d like,” he says. He turns his head, says something so that they can’t hear it and a high pitched scream pierces the air.

Stiles heart feels like its slamming on the breaks. Like it halts. 

_ Lucy.  _

Derek’s mouth might foam. He runs towards the building and with a light metal sound an arrow catches him in the shoulder. Derek stumbles, pulls it out, and continues. Another arrow hits him, this time closer to his neck. Stiles runs out, puts up a hand, mutters a spell and the next arrow that flies at Derek bounces off a shield of runes. 

“Clever,” says a familiar voice and Leonardo steps out from one of the doorways. “But not very strong.” 

He raises a hand and the blue smoke that was surrounding the hunter pushes through the magic shielding Derek. Derek falls back, but he’s fine, except for all the blood. But he can still move. 

Stiles was expecting this. He knew that Leonardo had something to do with it. But he didn’t expect him to look so different, so cold. 

“Do you work for them?” Stiles asks, gathering air in his palms. It’s one of his favorite tricks and sometimes he calls it air bending and it makes Scott groan. “The hunters?” 

“What do you think, Stiles?” 

“I know. I just wanted to hear it. I needed confirmation before I do this.” 

He pushes the wall of air at Leonardo, who flies back into the building. He struggles to get up, but it somehow signals that the fighting can resume and the hunters in the building start firing again at everyone outside. 

Derek uses the opportunity to run inside the building. Stiles starts to follow, but Leonardo drags him down onto the ground. He gets over him, raises his hand like he’s going to use it to destroy Stiles and Stiles doesn’t know anyone that powerful. 

“I’m going to kill you,” Leonardo says. 

Stiles rolls dow the side as Leonardo’s hand comes down. He manages to get enough air to send Leonardo back against the building and he starts running towards the doors. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do once he gets in there. Probably die. But he can’t do nothing and he’s the closest one. He’s the only one who can definitely get inside without being shot. 

Stiles hears the click before anyone else. He sprints back to the police cars pushes his dad down behind his cruiser, rolls behind it himself and the side of building explodes. Like Derek tripped a wire, like the hunters decided the best way to deal with it was to blow themselves and Derek up, like someone made a mistake trying to kill the pack. 

Stiles’ ears ring from the noise. He can’t hear anything, can’t hear his dad shouting or Scott who is on the ground, writhing in pain. He can’t hear himself scream, but he knows he’s screaming. He can feel it in his throat and the way his mouth hurts from stretching too wide. He swallows dirt and ash. 

It starts to settle and there’s waves of heat coming from the debris, but Stiles heads towards it anyway, ready to start tearing down stones to find Derek and Lucy. 

Before he can get there Derek appears from the rubble, cradling Lucy’s little form in his arms. Her leg is hanging over his hand and something is wrong. It looks too limp, too strange. There is black pain inking up Derek’s arms. There’s blood leaking down the front of Derek’s white shirt. 

Derek looks up at Stiles. “She’s not breathing.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see this thing is kind of winding down. I think my plan is to post the last two chapters tomorrow so I can start working on something new (hint: it involved fake relationships and Derek as a cheerleader). So thank you thank you thank you for reading and commenting and kudos-ing. I appreciate all of it. 
> 
> Also I'm on Tumblr! www.bifuriousderek.tumblr.com (I can't figure out how to embed a link - I don't think it wored the last time - and I'm too tired to try!)


	21. Yeah Lucy Dies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I promise that the chapter title is a lie.

The hospital feels too sterile. Derek paces the long hallway, his shirt still dirty and bloody, and Stiles stretches out his legs in front of him because they feel weird. All pins and needles. He remembers sitting in this same hospital, holding his dad’s hand, crying because he didn’t know how to save him. How much he wished that Derek was there. That Derek would come back and help him. 

His dad got better and Derek came back eventually. That has to mean something. Maybe that they deserve nice things. They deserve their wins. 

“I can’t hear _anything_ ,” Derek growls. 

Stiles drags his legs up to his chest and thinks about the time he fell asleep here waiting for Lydia to wake up when she didn’t even know his name. Fuck that really hurt his spine. He had trouble sitting up straight for days after that. 

And then he thinks about the MRIs, being worried that the same thing that happened to his mother was happening to him. And he thinks about Derek lying on the floor of the elevator. Thinks of Derek grabbing his wrist. 

Stiles stands up and takes Derek’s hands in his. Derek stops moving, just stares at him. His eyes are bright and angry. Like he's ready to do anything. Like he can do anything. 

“It’s okay,” Stiles says, pulling Derek's hands to his lips. “She'll be okay. And she’s strong and perfect and she’ll be okay.”

"She was in so much  _pain,_ Stiles." 

The ambulance arrived shortly after the explosion, as Derek walked towards Stiles with Lucy’s limp body in his arms. He handed her off to the EMTs even though he clearly didn’t want to. And Stiles and Derek rode in the ambulance and watched as her little body was covered in wires. As they put a patch over her chest that was specifically made for someone her size for the defibrillator. Her body lurched once and then twice and she started to breathe again and Derek took Stiles’ hand in his. 

Stiles kissed Derek’s hand because he knew that if he didn’t he would start to cry and he would be useless if he started to cry. 

When they got to the hospital Lucy was rushed into surgery to remove the shrapnel that had punctured her little lung. Someone told them exactly what was happening, but Stiles barely heard it. His dad had been there and he hoped that he had been able to take it in. All he knew was that Melissa would be there to see how Lucy healed, would make sure that no one noticed she was a werewolf. But Stiles was sure that Derek didn’t care. The whole world could know if it meant that Lucy would be okay. 

Chris came in eventually, looking like he hadn't just been shooting at hunters and whatever the fuck Leonardo was. Chris told them that the hunters that caught Lucy were dead. That Leonardo’s body was nowhere to be found, but even with the magic he was probably the least dangerous of the crew. 

“My best guess,” Chris said, scratching his beard. “Is that they wanted her to become a hunter with them. And I think they specifically wanted a Hale baby. The Hales are an ancient and powerful pack. You know that Derek. And she could easily challenge you for your land and your pack once she got old enough. I think that’s also why Mark and his wife left her with you. To keep her in a strong pack. Either way they’re dead. I found what’s left of their bodies last night. They were buried by the warehouse. I’m guessing they’ve been using it as a base for months. And I think the explosion was an accident. One of the idiots set it off. Honestly, you’re lucky it happened. They probably could’ve killed all of you.” 

Chris left after that and Stiles and Derek let him go. Because what right did they have to keep Chris Argent in the last place he saw his wife and daughter’s bodies? 

They’ve been waiting on a doctor or someone to come talk to them since Chris left. It’s been hours and Stiles knows that surgery is a slow thing and Lucy is probably healing like a human so they have to treat her like a human. But it’s too slow and too scary and Stiles saw her blood. Lucy was _bleeding_. 

“After this,” Stiles says, rubbing over Derek’s arms. “We’re moving to a beautiful pasture in the mountains and we’re going to live in a cabin. It’ll be like that field Julie Andrews dances in in _The Sound of Music_. And we’ll live there and herd goats or something and nothing bad will happen and Lucy won’t even trip.” 

“Come on, Stiles,” Derek says. “Even if Lucy doesn’t get hurt you’re bound to fall off a mountain. You can barely walk.” 

Stiles lets out a laugh that sounds forced and awkward and he wraps his arms around Derek. Derek leans into him, buries his face in Stiles’ neck and takes a deep breath. 

“You still smell like us,” Derek says. 

“Yeah, well at this point I’ll probably smell like you for the rest of my life.” 

Derek rumbles at that. “You smell like our _family_ , Stiles.” 

Stiles holds him tighter. “I love you.” 

Derek presses a flat kiss to his skin. “I love you so much.” 

There’s the sound of a throat clearing and Stiles turns to find his dad holding two styrofoam cups of warm coffee. “I got you guys coffee. It’s gross and useless for caffeine, but you guys needs something warm. And this is what people do in these situations.” 

Stiles takes it from him and sips it. 

It tastes like ashes. 

“Thanks, dad,” he says and Derek nods. 

“Thank you, sir.” 

His dad smiles. “Come on, son. You know you can call me John.” 

Derek nods again. He hasn’t taken the coffee yet, but Stiles isn’t totally sure that he can. “How are—how’s Scott and the rest of the pack?” 

“They’re okay. They’re making sure that the hunters are really gone. They’ll be here soon, but I figured you guys could just use each other.” 

“Thanks,” Stiles says. He reaches down and takes Derek’s hand. Derek moves closer to him. Stiles just needs to feel him there. He expects that he won’t be able to let Lucy go for a while either. 

The doors leading from the waiting room into surgery open and Melissa walks out. When her eyes land on Stiles and Derek and John she smiles, wide and happy. 

“She’s in the recovery room,” Melissa says. “Her healing is speeding up. She’ll be just fine if you want to go in and see her.” 

Stiles makes this choked off noise because even after reassuring himself that she would be okay, that they deserve good things, he wasn't totally convinced she would be fine. Even after all of that he had no idea. 

Derek doesn’t let go of Stiles’ hand as they follow Melissa to the recovery room where Lucy is lying in a bed, hooked up to a heart monitor. She looks so small and fragile and Stiles focuses on the way her chest is moving up and down. He wants to put a hand over it like he would do when they were sleeping, just to feel it. Just to know she's breathing. 

Stiles doesn't thing he's ever loved anything or anyone the way he loves Lucy. Or the way he loves Derek. It makes him think cheesy thoughts he'll whisper to Derek in bed, in the dark in his bedroom. When only Derek can hear them and won't care how stupid Stiles sounds. 

Derek sinks into the chair by Lucy's bed and that’s when Stiles really does start to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These emotions are brought to you by me finishing Half Lost yesterday and sobbing for like a solid thirty minutes. 
> 
> I came really close to killing off Lucy, but I am weak and she is just a little werebaby! 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting! Come say hi on tumblr (www.bifuriousderek.tumblr.com)!


	22. Erotic Friend Fiction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you think about Tyler Hoechlin's hairy thighs a lot? Because I do.

Stiles books the tickets to Paris as a surprise. Except Derek finds out about twenty minutes later because Stiles can't keep it in and Derek nearly cancels the trip because, "She almost died, Stiles! Lucy can't be without us for a week!" 

Stiles shuts him up with a blow job and after Derek returns the favor he sighs and says, "Fine. We can go to Paris. But let me get the fucking hotel." 

Stiles presses a kiss to his chest. "It's for your book, idiot." 

"Oh." Derek has been studying maps of Paris for months and somehow in all the insanity he totally forgot about it. "Right. Thank you." 

They try to get to know Paris for the sake of the book. They really do. It's just that being in such a romantic city makes them want to do romantic things and they eat so much food that they wake up late and then their bed is so comfortable. So Stiles has to slowly make love to Derek (who keeps telling him to stop calling it love making) every morning and every afternoon and every night. 

It takes three whole days to do actual research and mostly Derek tells Stiles to stand by the Seine looking beautiful while he thinks about what Declan would feel for Henry in this situation. And it turns out Declan would probably feel a lot of things because Derek brings Stiles back to the hotel room and rides him until they're both messes. 

And then, once Stiles can breathe again, he flips Derek onto his back and licks all the come off Derek's stomach because he knows Derek likes it. That the scent of it drives Derek wild. 

Not long after that Stiles realizes something as he kisses up Derek's hairy thighs on his way to his beautiful cock. And _God_. They're really nice thighs. Stiles cares a lot about thighs. 

"Derek," he says, popping his head up and Derek looks a little startled, but he's still hard so it couldn't have been much of a shock. 

" _Fuck_. What, Stiles?" Derek sounds exasperated and turned on, which is kind of a base level of where Derek is always in bed since it became something he could be openly. 

Stiles grins at him. "Dude—." 

"Please stop calling me dude." 

" _Derek_ ," Stiles whines, moving up his body and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "I just realized something very important." 

"What?" 

"Your book is straight up erotic friend fiction." 

"What?" Derek repeats like he's still angry at Stiles for ignoring his stupid perfect thick thighs. 

"I mean you based Henry on me and Declan is obviously you because you need to be loved so much and told how perfect you are. Because you're so fucking perfect, Derek. So it's basically a Sterek AU." 

"What does that even mean." 

"Sterek. That's our couple name." 

"Whatever, Stiles. You know, _Henry_ doesn't talk this much. Maybe I didn't base him on you." 

"Derek. Admit it. You like me and you wrote that sex scene thinking about us making love." 

"Stiles. I obviously like you. I told you I love you. I’m pretty sure we’re engaged.” 

"I know and we _are_ engaged but you had a _crush_ on me, you dork." 

"Okay. Maybe I was kind of thinking about you and me in some of those parts. Self-insertion is poor writing, though. So I don't like to admit it." 

"No. I like it. It's so sweet. You had such a big crush on me." Stiles peppers kisses all over Derek's face. "Ugh. You're so cute." 

"Stiles. Can you just get back to fucking me?" 

"I've got chapter twenty-three practically memorized, Derek." Stiles raises an eyebrow and presses a kiss to the middle of Derek's chest. "Do you want to reenact it, Declan? I can take care of you so well, Declan." 

Stiles looks up and is kind of surprised to see Derek shaking his head. "No. I want it to be us." 

Stiles is man enough to admit that he squeals at that. "Oh my god, Derek. You're so fucking cute.”

Derek grabs Stiles’ arm, flips him over so Derek is leaning over him. “Shut up,” he says and silences Stiles with a kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! This is the end! Yay! 
> 
> So much love for all the comments and kudos and everyone else who read. If I could find each of you and shake your hand and tell you how nice your hair is I would do that. 
> 
> As always, Tumblr: www.bifuriousderek.tumblr.com


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